Early studies on anodic properties of lithium intercalated graphite

Early electrochemical studies on lithium intercalated graphite, LiC6, which were conducted to establish the anodic properties of these materials in rechargeable lithium cells are reported. Two types of electrochemical cells, a group of cells at high temperature and another group at ambient temperature, were utilized in these studies. The electrode potential of LiC6 against a pure lithium reference electrode was in the range of 30–35 mV. The cell voltage of LiC6/Li+/NbSe3 cells at ambient temperature was 2.770 V. The cycling characteristics and reversibility of the LiC6 electrode were also excellent. These studies established that lithium intercalated graphite is capable of performing well as an anode in rechargeable lithium cells replacing pure elemental lithium with a negligible loss of cell voltage. Photoemission studies conducted earlier on LiC6 indicated that lithium exists predominantly as lithium ions in this material which helps to avoid the formation of highly reactive elemental lithium at the anode/electrolyte interface during the recharging process.