Disordered carbon negative electrode for electrochemical capacitors and high-rate batteries

In order to understand the properties of high-rate capability and cycleability for a disordered carbon negative electrode in LiPF6/PC based electrolyte solution, the cell performance tests with various rates and depth of discharges (DODs) has been studied by spectroscopic and electrochemical analyses. From the charge–discharge measurements, a surface carbon-edge redox reaction occurring between a carbonyl (CedgeO) and a lithium alkoxide (Cedge–OLi) that delivers a large capacity was found fast and high cycleability at only shallow DOD (2.0–0.4 V). The limited or shallow charge–discharge cycling utilizing such facile and reversible action of the CedgeO/Cedge–OLi of the disordered carbon is suited to an application for an negative electrode of asymmetric hybrid capacitors. A deep DOD discharge (2.0–0.0 V) revealed the existence of some complex processes involving a lithium cluster deposition at pores or microvoids as well as a lithium ion intercalation at graphene layers. The cluster deposition at pores was found to be relatively fast and reproducible. The lithium ion intercalation at graphenes and the subsequent cluster deposition at microvoids were found to be slow and degrade the cycleability after 100 cycles because of the accumulation of a thick and low-ion-conductive solid electrolyte interface (SEI) film on surface.