Large-Sized Few-Layer Graphene Enables an Ultrafast and Long-Life Aluminum-Ion Battery

To develop high-power and high-energy batteries with a long life remains a great challenge, even combining the benefits of metal (fast kinetics and high capacity) and carbon materials (robust structure). Among them, Al-ion batteries based on aluminum anode and graphite carbon cathode have gained lots of interests as one of the most promising technologies. Here, it is demonstrated that the size of graphitic material in ab plane and c direction plays an important role in anion intercalation chemistry. Sharply decreasing the size of vertical dimension ( c direction) strongly facilitates the kinetics and charge transfer of anions (de)intercalation. On the other hand, increasing the size of horizontal dimension ( ab plane) contributes to improving the flexibility of graphitic materials, which results in raising the cycling stability. Meanwhile, chloroaluminate anions are reversibly intercalated into the interlayer of graphite materials, leading to the staging behaviors. In the end, an ultrafast Al-ion battery with exceptional long life is achieved based on large-sized few-layer graphene as a cathode and aluminum metal as an anode.