Modified carbon matrix - high energy anode for lithium ion battery

The recent commercial applications for packaged electrical power emphasize the need for high performance Li-ion battery systems and require the development of new alternative electrode materials, especially negative, which exceed the capabilities of conventional ones in terms of energy density. Graphites are the standard materials used as anode in lithium-ion systems. They have good compatibility with most electrolyte solvents and stable capacity over several hundreds of cycles but it is limited of 372 Ah/kg and rather low compared to the increasingly investigated lithium inserting metals and alloys (such as Al, Sn, Si, SnSb). Based on these facts, different modifications of graphite such as mild oxidation, coating by polymers and other kinds of carbon, composite formation, etc. are also the research activities focus of many scientific groups. This paper will provide an overview about different graphite modification methods. The concepts for the creation of lithium storage hosts with improved cycling performance will be highlighted.