Improvement of electrochemical properties of PTMA cathode by using carbon blacks with high specific surface area

A PTMA (poly(4-methacryloyloxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-piperidine-N-oxyl)) electrode with high energy density is prepared with Black Pearl 2000 (BP-2000). For comparisons, vapor grown carbon fiber (VGCF) and acetylene black (AB) are also employed to fabricate the PTMA-electrodes. The electrochemical properties of the electrode are improved obviously by employing BP-2000. The specific capacity of the PTMA-BP electrode based on the mass of PTMA is 26.7% larger than that of the PTMA-VGCF and PTMA-AB electrodes at a 1 C rate. At higher discharge rates, the polarization degree of the Li/PTMA-BP cell is the minimum one. At a discharge rate of 50 C, the specific capacity of the PTMA-BP electrode is 104.9 mA h g(-1), and is 27.6 and 16.7% larger than that of the PTMA-VGCF and PTMA-AB electrodes, respectively. Besides, the discharge plateau of the Li/PTMA-BP cell is 3.35 V, and is 0.03 and 0.13 V higher than that of the Li/PTMA-AB and Li/PTMA-VGCF cells, respectively. The larger specific capacity of BP-2000 and the improved electrochemical kinetics of PTMA at the surface of BP carbon, resulted from the larger surface area of BP-2000, are the main factors for improving the capacity and rate capability of the PTMA-electrode. The high specific surface area of BP-2000 is also beneficial to the thorough contact of PTMA with BP carbon, resulting in the improved conductivity of the PTMA-BP composites. The cycling performance of the PTMA-BP electrode is also satisfied.