Lithium-ion batteries, used in various devices ranging from smartphones to electric cars, store energy through ion intercalation, where lithium ions slip between graphite layers in the anode during charging.
The more lithium ions a battery can absorb and release, the more energy it stores. Though this process is well-known, its microscopic details were unclear.
A team from the University of Manchester has shed new light on this phenomenon by studying bilayer graphene, the thinnest possible battery anode composed of just two carbon layers.
Surprising process in lithium intercalation for energy storage
The research by the Manchester scientists, published in Nature Communications, reveals an unexpected ‘in-plane staging’ process during lithium intercalation in bilayer graphene, potentially leading to advancements in energy storage technology.
Graphite has long been used as an anode material in Li-ion batteries due to its chemical…
