title: Electrochemical properties of nanostructured copper hydroxysulfate mineral brochantite upon reaction with lithium.
abstract: Cu-containing conversion electrodes have received much study as high capacity electrodes for lithium-ion batteries, but many suffer from poor reversibility. The electrochemical properties of the copper hydroxysulfate compound, Cu4(OH)6SO4, more commonly known as the mineral brochantite and as a patina constituent on the Statue of Liberty, were investigated. Nanostructured brochantite was synthesized using precipitation and microwave-assisted hydrothermal reactions and evaluated in half-cells with Li metal counter electrodes. Reversible capacities >400 mAh/g corresponding to the 2 electron reduction of Cu(2+) and discharge potential of 1.8 V versus Li/Li(+) were observed in brochantite with a nanoplate morphology. Detailed characterization using X-ray diffraction, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was performed to better understand the conversion process.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and ‡Materials Science and Engineering, School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, Arizona State University , Tempe, Arizona 85287, United States.
authors.forename: Ran
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Ting
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Michael A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Candace K
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Chan
mesh_terms: D002244:Carbon / Q000737:chemistry; D003300:Copper / Q000737:chemistry*; D011211:Electric Power Supplies; D004563:Electrochemistry; D008094:Lithium / Q000737:chemistry*; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry*; D013431:Sulfates; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction
chemical_list: D013431:Sulfates; D002244:Carbon; D003300:Copper; D008094:Lithium