13C, 1H, 6Li magic-angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance, electron paramagnetic resonance, and Fourier transform infrared study of intercalation electrodes based in ultrasoft carbons obtained below 3100 K

The past decade has seen an important development of materials for high-performance energy storage systems. Particularly, the field of electrode materials for advanced lithium batteries has attracted the interest of numerous researchers. Petroleum coke samples of different origins and heat treated at different temperatures below 3100 K have been studied by spectroscopic and electrochemical procedures. According to {sup 13}C and {sup 1}H magic-angle spinning (MAS) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), infrared (IR), and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) data, aromatic compounds and surface OH groups are present in green coke samples. The preparation of CMB (combustible) sample from 1673 K leads to a low-temperature graphitization process, as shown by the occurrence of multiphase products containing both turbostatic and graphitized solid. This process is accompanied by the loss of aromatic compounds and surface hydroxyls. The optimization of the lithium intercalation electrodes based in the green coke materials was carried out by thermal treatment at 1023 K under dynamic vacuum conditions. Such pretreatment of the electrode material leads to marked enhancement of reversible capacities without the higher temperatures usually required for other soft carbon materials. Finally, the results of {sup 6}Li MAS NMR and EPR have been correlated with the experimental determination of lithiummore » diffusion coefficients and surface properties. On the basis of these results, spin resonance spectroscopies are found to be a powerful tool to discern between the different petroleum coke samples to select the active electrode material with best performance.« less