title: Electrochemically Driven Transformation of Amorphous Carbons to Crystalline Graphite Nanoflakes: A Facile and Mild Graphitization Method.
abstract: Although, in the carbon family, graphite is the most thermodynamically stable allotrope, conversion of other carbon allotropes, even amorphous carbons, into graphite is extremely hard. We report a simple electrochemical route for the graphitization of amorphous carbons through cathodic polarization in molten CaCl2at temperatures of about 1100 K, which generates porous graphite comprising petaloid nanoflakes. This nanostructured graphite allows fast and reversible intercalation/deintercalation of anions, promising a superior cathode material for batteries. In a Pyr14TFSI ionic liquid, it exhibits a specific discharge capacity of 65 and 116 mAh g-1at a rate of 1800 mA g-1when charged to 5.0 and 5.25 V vs. Li/Li+, respectively. The capacity remains fairly stable during cycling and decreases by only about 8 % when the charge/discharge rate is increased to 10000 mA g-1during cycling between 2.25 and 5.0 V.
authors.affiliation: College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, P.R. China.|College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Wuhan Textile University, Wuhan, 430032, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Junjun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.affiliation: Chemical Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA.
authors.forename: Nanqing
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Rui
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Zhiyong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Chemical Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA.
authors.forename: Sheng
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-8046-3931
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.affiliation: College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Xianbo
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Jin
keywords: anion intercalation; electrochemical graphitization; ionic liquids; nanostructured graphite; porous graphite