Electrochemical properties and Li deposition morphologies of surface modified graphite after grinding

Electrochemical properties and Li deposition morphologies of several kinds of carbon with different surfaces were studied. The surface conditions and Li deposition morphologies were analyzed using Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. It appeared that the disordered carbon surface suppressed the Li dendrite deposition. Grinding methods with different clearances were adopted to modify the graphite into a desirable surface. The R-value increased from 0.10 to 0.63 after grinding to 40 μm, though a significant change in d 0 0 2 did not occur. These results suggest that disordered carbon was created on the surface without a significant change in bulk crystallinity. Thus, the reversible capacity, which is about 350 mAh g −1, was the same before and after grinding. However, the Li deposition morphologies significantly changed before and after grinding. The pristine graphite had a dendritic morphology, but the ground graphite had a granular morphology. It is believed that the defects on the disordered carbon act as electrodeposition nuclei and prevent the formation of Li dendrites.