The Anode is the negative or reducing electrode that releases electrons to the external circuit and oxidizes during and electrochemical reaction. In a lithium ion cell the anode is commonly graphite or graphite and silicon.
Manufacturing
Mesocarbon Microbeads (MCMB) – a historically important spherical graphitizable carbon precursor material used to manufacture graphite anodes.
Natural or Synthetic Graphite
In battery cells we see the use of natural and synthetic graphite.
Natural graphite anode has the advantages of lower cost, high capacity and lower energy consumption compared with the corresponding synthetic anode. But the latter performs much better in electrolyte compatibility, fast-charge turnaround and battery longevity. [1]
Natural versus Synthetic Graphite
A comparison of the material properties and then a look at the advantages / disadvantages at cell level.
Porosity
How Anode Porosity Changes at High Energy Densities
With graphite-based anodes, it is possible to increase energy density by gradually reducing porosity. Lower porosity means more active material per unit volume, and at moderate energy densities this optimization works flawlessly.
Roadmap
Isotropic Graphite
Isotropic graphite is designed to reduce the stress from Li+ insertion and extraction. Making it more stable and thus improving lifetime.
Graphite Development
Developing new graphite anodes to diversify the supply chain remains challenging due to proprietary formation protocols and inconsistent test formats. In this study between WMG, University of Warwick and James Durrans & Sons Limited we report on the development of industry-grade graphite as a case study to examine what is required from materials requirements to align with up adoption in Li-ion batteries – including “apples for apples” pouch cell studies with commercial benchmarks.
References
See also: Cathode, Anode & Electrolyte Explained, Graphite