Breaking the Graphite Trilemma: An Isotropic Core–Shell Anode for High-Energy and Fast-Charging Li-Ion Batteries
4 affiliations
- 1School of Electrical Engineering, Jiangxi University of Water Resources and Electric Power, Nanchang 330099, China
- 2Yaohu Honors College, Jiangxi University of Water Resources and Electric Power, Nanchang 330099, China
- 3Sunrise (Guizhou) New Energy Materials Co., Ltd., Xingyi 562409, China
- 4Shanggao County Long Time Technology Co., Ltd., Yichun 336400, China
Abstract
High-energy-density Li-ion batteries demand highly graphitized graphite anodes, yet elevated graphitization inevitably amplifies structural anisotropy, obstructing Li+ intercalation and compromising rate capability. To resolve this trilemma, we establish a precursor–structure–performance framework for pitch-based artificial graphites, revealing that this performance trade-off is governed by impurity content, ordered domains, and micropores: low-impurity precursors facilitate crystallite growth along the c-axis to realize high graphitization; ordered domains promote in-plane crystallite growth; and intrinsic micropores restrain excessive in-plane crystallite enlargement, lowering the orientation index and maintaining structural isotropy. Purified coal-based needle coke emerges as the optimal matrix, featuring a high graphitization degree of 94.89% alongside a moderate orientation index of 10.25. A resin-derived hard-carbon coating, with markedly higher disorder than its pitch-derived counterpart, is applied to construct an isotropic core–shell architecture (AG-R). The disordered surface layer acts as a Li+ transfer station, preserving low-rate capacity while boosting the Li+ diffusion coefficient by ~2.2-fold. In 2.5 Ah 18,650 full cells, AG-R achieves an energy density exceeding 430 Wh kg−1 (based on the total active material mass), retains 92.3% capacity at 10 C discharge and 81.6% at 3 C charge, and sustains over 80% capacity retention after 4600 cycles at 1 C. This work validates that precursor-directed bulk isotropy regulation, coupled with surface disordering engineering, offers a viable pathway toward fast-charging, high-energy graphite anodes.
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BibTeX
@article{kang2026breaking,
title = {{Breaking the Graphite Trilemma: An Isotropic Core–Shell Anode for High-Energy and Fast-Charging Li-Ion Batteries}},
author = {Bing Kang and Siqi Liu and Liekai Liu and Wenliang Hu and Keju Ding and Yongcheng Zou},
journal = {Batteries},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/batteries12100422},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2313-0105/12/10/422},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Breaking the Graphite Trilemma: An Isotropic Core–Shell Anode for High-Energy and Fast-Charging Li-Ion Batteries
AU - Bing Kang
AU - Siqi Liu
AU - Liekai Liu
AU - Wenliang Hu
AU - Keju Ding
AU - Yongcheng Zou
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/13
JO - Batteries
DO - 10.3390/batteries12100422
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/2313-0105/12/10/422
AB - High-energy-density Li-ion batteries demand highly graphitized graphite anodes, yet elevated graphitization inevitably amplifies structural anisotropy, obstructing Li+ intercalation and compromising rate capability. To resolve this trilemma, we establish a precursor–structure–performance framework for pitch-based artificial graphites, revealing that this performance trade-off is governed by impurity content, ordered domains, and micropores: low-impurity precursors facilitate crystallite growth along the c-axis to realize high graphitization; ordered domains promote in-plane crystallite growth; and intrinsic micropores restrain excessive in-plane crystallite enlargement, lowering the orientation index and maintaining structural isotropy. Purified coal-based needle coke emerges as the optimal matrix, featuring a high graphitization degree of 94.89% alongside a moderate orientation index of 10.25. A resin-derived hard-carbon coating, with markedly higher disorder than its pitch-derived counterpart, is applied to construct an isotropic core–shell architecture (AG-R). The disordered surface layer acts as a Li+ transfer station, preserving low-rate capacity while boosting the Li+ diffusion coefficient by ~2.2-fold. In 2.5 Ah 18,650 full cells, AG-R achieves an energy density exceeding 430 Wh kg−1 (based on the total active material mass), retains 92.3% capacity at 10 C discharge and 81.6% at 3 C charge, and sustains over 80% capacity retention after 4600 cycles at 1 C. This work validates that precursor-directed bulk isotropy regulation, coupled with surface disordering engineering, offers a viable pathway toward fast-charging, high-energy graphite anodes.
SN - 2313-0105
ER -