Poly(ethylene terephthalate): Rubbish could be low cost anode material of lithium ion battery

Innumerable PET plastics have been abandoned, which is resistance to natural degradation. Here the PET plastics were transformed into PET particles after a solvothermal treatment, of which the size was in the range from several microns to tens of microns. The PET particles were tested as the anode material of Lithium ion battery, and its reversible capacity is about 200 mAh/g at 100 mA/g. The energy storage mechanism is attributed to redox reaction between the inserted lithium ions and the ester groups on PET chain, which is confirmed through the DFT calculation and XRD, FTIR and XPS measurement results. This is the first report for PET plastics used as electrode materials, and it provides a new way to utilize the PET refuse.