GOALI: New Synthetic Methods, Intercalation Compounds and Composites of Graphite for Electrochemical and Structural Applications

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9900390LernerThis project entails a study of acceptor-type intercalation chemistry of graphite, where carbon sheets are oxidized and anions incorporated within expanded galleries. Both the development of new synthetic methods and the preparation and characterization of new materials will be explored. Known compounds of this type are generally limited to small anions and simple gallery structures (with a few exceptions having been reported recently), in marked contrast to the complex intercalant structures, porous galleries, and nanocomposite structures that have been obtained for other layered hosts. The useful electronic, structural, and electrochemical properties of graphite, and their technological significance, indicate the importance for the development of a similar broad intercalation chemistry. Methods are proposed to carry out syntheses of complex intercalation compounds, rapidly, in multi-gram quantity, and under ambient conditions, using hydrofluoric acid solutions containing strong oxidants. The products obtained will be evaluated as precursors to new graphitic materials, including organographites, analogous to organoclays in general structural features, and turbostratic graphites. Materials properties of these compounds, including detailed structural characteristics, will be investigated. A collaborative effort with Covalent Associates, Inc. under the GOALI program will evaluate the electrochemical activity of new graphite intercalation compounds developed during this project.%%%Graphite is a layered carbon structure that has a wide range of technological uses. Recently, the electrochemical intercalation of graphite has become the basis for energy storage in lithium-ion batteries, which are increasingly important and will likely replace all other chemistries used for small batteries. These materials may be advantageous compared with current graphite-based compounds either for energy storage or in other technological applications of graphite.