HIGH RESOLUTION TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPY IMAGE ANALYSIS OF DISORDERED CARBONS USED FOR ELECTROCHEMICAL STORAGE OF ENERGY

Numerous forms of more or less disordered carbons (soft carbons, hard carbons, fibers, nanotubes, mesophase microbeads, etc.) are presently tested for different energy storage applications. For instance, microporous carbons i.e. hard carbons, are frequently studied as anodes for lithium-ion batteries, whereas microporous/mesoporous solids such as carbon areogels seem to be optimal for supercapacitor applications, or hydrogen storage

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. If the mechanism of lithium intercalation between the infinite and perfect graphene layers of a graphite crystal is well understood

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, it is not the case with disordered carbons. These carbons are made of short and poorly stacked polyaromatic layers with a large distribution of layer length and interlayer spacings, and, consequently various sites are available for lithium ion trapping.