Study of electrochemical alkali insertion into carbonaceous materials

Electrochemical insertion of alkali metal (lithium or sodium) into carbon electrodes is studied in non-aqueous organic electrolytes at room temperature. The extent of insertion into carbon and its reversibility process were found to be affected by the type and particle size of the carbon materials. The possibility of designing an alkali-ion battery cell is discussed, using natural graphite, graphitized carbon black and carbon black as negative electrodes.