Lithium Insertion in Hydrogen-Containing Carbonaceous Materials

Heated carbon materials were made from organic precursors between 550 and 1000 °C. High capacities for lithium were found in all of the samples heated below 800 °C, which all contain substantial hydrogen. The majority of this high capacity shows large hysteresis; that is the lithium is inserted near 0 V (versus lithium metal) and removed near 1 V. We show that the capacity exhibiting large hysteresis is proportional to the hydrogen content of the samples. We believe that lithium atoms can bind quasi-reversibly on hydrogen-terminated edges of graphene fragments in carbonaceous materials.