Colloid chemical approach to the construction of high energy density rechargeable lithium-ion batteries

The layer-by-layer self-assembly of poly(diallyldimethyl-ammonium) chloride , PDDA; graphite oxide, G, nanoplatelets; and polyethylene oxide, PEG, onto transparent indium tin oxide substrates, S, have provided cationic working electrodes which, with lithium wires as reference and counter electrodes, functioned as high energy density rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. Speci fically, very high specific capacities (1232 and 1134 mAh.g(-1)) have been determined for batteries which had positive electrodes of ten sandwich laye rs of self-assembled films: S-(PDDA/GO/PEO)(10) and S-(PDDA/PEO)(10). The i mportance of the exfoliating GO into nanoplatelets and the colloid chemistr y of self-assembly are discussed.