Chloride molten salt derived attapulgite with ground-breaking electrochemical performance

The existence of adsorbed water and structural water in the crystal structure of attapulgite (ATP) endows it with poor capability to store lithium ions. Herein, the chloride molten salt method was developed to function ATP materials based on theoretical calculations, which exhibit ground-breaking electrochemical performance. After the modification process, the metal ions in chloride molten salt occupy the vertices of the Mg-O octahedral structure from the liberation of structural water and hydroxyl groups in ATP, forming MaMgbAlcSixOy (M = Li, Na, or K). Using LiCl molten salt-modified ATP (Li-ATP) as a proof-of-concept, the detailed phase transition, physicochemical properties, and lithium storage capacity were investigated. Compared to the original ATP, Li-ATP achieves a nearly 7-fold increase in lithium storage capacity (498 mAh/g), featuring a promising low-cost polyanionic type anode material.