Battery problem A 1 cm2 graphite electrode is lithiated with

Battery problem?

A 1 cm^2 graphite electrode is lithiated with a 1 mA current for 10 s. Assume that at most one Li ion intercalates into the electrode for a given electrode atom and that the Li remains as close to the electrode surface as possible. Assume that the surface is the (0001) plane of graphite which is shown in the figure and in which the near neighbor separation is 0.142 nm. How many layers deep into the electrode will the Li penetrate?

Solution

Soln The penetration depth of the Li⁺ ions into the graphite electrode, D = 0.100mm = 0.1 *10^-3 m

Near neighbour seperation, S = 0.142 nm = 0.142 * 10^-9 m

Number of layers = D/S = 7 * 10⁵ layers.