Xichao Li

Effects of graphene with different sizes as conductive additives on the electrochemical performance of a LiFePO4 cathode

This paper aims to demonstrate whether graphene nanosheets (GN) with different sizes as conductive additives are able to affect the electrochemical performance of a LiFePO4 (LFP) cathode. The results of electrochemical measurements present that graphene nanosheets (GN) and Super-P (SP) used as conductive additives simultaneously could construct an effective electronic conducting network and achieve excellent electrochemical performance when compared with traditional carbon materials. A LFP with small-size GN shows better specific capacity and rate performance than those with medium-size and large-size GN, and the LFP with large-size GN displays a poor rate performance. The results indicate that the specific capacity and rate performance tend to worsen with the increase of the size of graphene, owing to the length of the lithium ion transport path being prolonged and the ionic conductivity decreasing greatly by the “barrier effect” of graphene.

The influence of deposited potential on the ORR activity of Pt catalysts on glassy carbon electrode

In this study, Pt catalysts were fabricated on a glassy carbon (GC) electrode Pt/GC using a potentiostatic technique at different reduction potentials in potassium hexachloroplatinate solutions with hydrochloric acid. The compositions of the catalysts were determined using energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), the surface morphologies were observed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the crystal structure was confirmed using thin-film X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results show that all the electrodeposited Pt/GC catalysts exhibit a higher electrochemical activity for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) when compared with a commercial Pt/C electrode. There is an optimum electrodeposited potential (−0.15 V vs. Ag/AgCl) at which the Pt/GC electrode displays the highest electrochemical activity for the ORR due to the high-index plane and shape effect of the Pt particles. At a lower electrodeposited potential, the applied current density is high enough to form large and coarse metal particles, while at a higher electrodeposited potential, the active sites of Pt particles decrease because of its equiaxed shape.