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Effect of N-doping on hard carbon nano-balls as anode for Li-ion battery: improved hydrothermal synthesis and volume expansion study

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Abstract

Using an improved single-step hydrothermal method, mesoporous hard carbon nano-balls, with nitrogen doping, have been successfully synthesized. These materials exhibit good reversible charge capacity during half-cell tests. Gravimetric capacity for undoped nano-sized and micron-sized mesoporous hard carbon balls is 506 and 475 mAh g−1, respectively. After nitrogen doping, the specific gravimetric capacities of both nano- and micron-sized carbon balls increase by 6.9 and 8%, respectively. Nitrogen doping enhances retention in specific capacity of both anode materials, particularly in nano-sized carbon balls with capacity retention of 83.9% after 100 cycles. The enhancement is attributed to a significant decrease in volume expansion due to the nitrogen doping. Density functional theory-based computation confirms the reduction of volume expansion by 60%. Improved electrochemical performance of nitrogen-doped hard carbon is due to the drop in volume expansion rate during lithiation along with increased porosity and electronic conductivity. Furthermore, this one-step synthesis can be extended to other carbon sources to get nitrogen-doped hard carbon with sizes varying from micro to nano.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge their affiliated institution, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, West Bengal, India, for providing the research facilities.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, 721302, India

    Ashutosh Agrawal, K. Biswas & Sudipto Ghosh

  2. Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, 721302, India

    S. K. Srivastava

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  1. Ashutosh Agrawal
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  2. K. Biswas
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  4. Sudipto Ghosh
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Correspondence to Ashutosh Agrawal.

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Agrawal, A., Biswas, K., Srivastava, S.K. et al. Effect of N-doping on hard carbon nano-balls as anode for Li-ion battery: improved hydrothermal synthesis and volume expansion study. J Solid State Electrochem 22, 3443–3455 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10008-018-4044-6

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