Scalable Fabrication of Carbon Fiber-Based Cathode with Networked Heterostructures for Structural Energy Storage Composites
摘要
Carbon fibers, with their exceptional properties, are appealing to explore storage of electrical energy within fiber-reinforced composites. By activating carbon fibers, structural cathodes can be fabricated, which integrate mechanical strength with energy storage capabilities. This study describes a method to graft commercial carbon fibers with assemblies of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) acting as the cathode active material, functionalized carbon nanotubes as conductive network, and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as the binder agent. Favorable interactions of these particles in the Dimethylformamide (DMF) solvent enable formation of dispersed sub-micron structures in the solution. A uniform, macroscale coating on carbon fibers was achieved with electrophoretic deposition (EPD). Several coating morphologies were investigated to understand trade-offs associated with system properties. It is shown that CNTs can effectively interconnect active materials and carbon fiber both electronically and mechanically. Electrochemical results show promising performance, with reversible capacities of 101 mAh/g after 50 cycles. The excellent rate and cycle performance of cells in multiple C-rates can be attributed to the proposed cathode architecture influenced by small wt% CNT networks. Results indicate positive synergistic effects present in the proposed methodology that enables scalable fabrication of structural cathodes, alongside the flexibility of tuning the morphological characteristics.