Nanosized LiFePO₄-decorated emulsion-templated carbon foam for 3D micro batteries: a study of structure and electrochemical performance

Abstract

In this article, we report a novel 3D composite cathode fabricated from LiFePO4 nanoparticles deposited conformally on emulsion-templated carbon foam by a sol-gel method. The carbon foam is synthesized via a facile and scalable method which involves the carbonization of a high internal phase emulsion (polyHIPE) polymer template. Various techniques (XRD, SEM, TEM and electrochemical methods) are used to fully characterize the porous electrode and confirm the distribution and morphology of the cathode active material. The major benefits of the carbon foam used in our work are closely connected with its high surface area and the plenty of space suitable for sequential coating with battery components. After coating with a cathode material (LiFePO4 nanoparticles), the 3D electrode presents a hierarchically structured electrode in which a porous layer of the cathode material is deposited on the rigid and bicontinuous carbon foam. The composite electrodes exhibit impressive cyclability and rate performance at different current densities affirming their importance as viable power sources in miniature devices. Footprint area capacities of 1.72 mA h cm(-2) at 0.1 mA cm(-2) (lowest rate) and 1.1 mA h cm(-2) at 6 mA cm(-2) (highest rate) are obtained when the cells are cycled in the range 2.8 to 4.0 V vs. lithium.

Boosting the thermal stability of emulsion-templated polymers via sulfonation: an efficient synthetic route to hierarchically porous carbon foams

“…Hierarchically porous and monolithic carbon foams are of major industrial and scientific importance on account of their high specific surface areas, resistance to chemical attack, reasonably high electrical and thermal conductivities, extremely light weight as opposed to metal foams, low thermal expansion coefficient, low cost and abundant precursors, and the like. They are widely used as (i) reactors and supports for catalysts, (ii) electrodes in electroanalytical studies and electrochemical devices like batteries, supercapacitors and fuel cells, (iii) adsorbents for gases, organic solvents and metal ions, (iv) containers in heat exchangers, (v) electromagnetic shields and so on. Mostly, carbon foams are prepared by blowing inert gases through polymer melts and coals during pyrolysis or by simply carbonizing ready‐made polymer foams .…”

PolyHIPE Derived Freestanding 3D Carbon Foam for Cobalt Hydroxide Nanorods Based High Performance Supercapacitor

“…So, the PolyHIPE derived graphitic carbon foams (GCFs) with controlled porous structure can be the alternative for contemporary GFs or GS. Polymerized high internal phase emulsion (PolyHIPEs) are very attractive for a wide variety of applications, such as catalysis, chromatography, separation, absorption, ion exchange, insulation, tissue engineering, drug delivery, heavy metal separation 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 . The HIPEs provide a very convenient route to synthesize macroporous polymer materials by polymerizing monomers in the continuous phase.…”

Tailoring environment friendly carbon nanostructures by surfactant mediated interfacial engineering

“…As olivine is attractive material for cathode in lithium ion battery, the cyclic performance of olivine/carbon foam cathode material was monitored in a 3D microbattery [79].…”