IMPROVING THE PERFORMANCE OF GRAPHITE ANODES IN RECHARGEABLE LITHIUM BATTERIES

A low cost graphite was examined as a negative electrode for rechargea ble Lithium batteries. The use of an electrolyte solution consisting o f LiPF6 (1 mol dm(-3)) in ethylene carbonate (EC) and dimethyl carbona te (DMC) at a volume ratio of 2:1 resulted in a capacity loss of 35% o n the first cycle. When small quantities of dimethyl pyrocarbonate (DM PC) were added to the binary electrolyte system, the capacity loss on the first cycle was only 18% and thereafter a practical capacity value of 357 mA h g(-1) was sustained for more than 50 cycles, representing more than 2000 h of cycling. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science S.A. All right s reserved.