Enhancing structural battery performance: Investigating the role of conductive carbon additives in LiFePO4-Impregnated carbon fiber electrodes

This study centers on investigating the influence of conductive additives, carbon black (Super P) and graphene, within the context of LiFePO4 (LFP)-impregnated carbon fibers (CFs) produced using the powder impregnation method. The performance of these additives was subject to an electrochemical evaluation. The findings reveal that there are no substantial disparities between the two additives at lower cycling rates, highlighting their adaptability in conventional energy storage scenarios. However, as cycling rates increase, graphene emerges as the better performer. At a rate of 1.5C in a half-cell versus lithium, electrodes containing graphene exhibited a discharge capacity of 83 mAhgLFP−1; those with Super P and without any additional conductive additive showed a capacity of 65 mAhgLFP−1 and 48 mAhgLFP−1, respectively. This distinction is attributed to the structural and conductivity advantages inherent to graphene, showing its potential to enhance the electrochemical performance of structural batteries. Furthermore, LFP-impregnated CFs were evaluated in full cells versus pristine CFs, yielding relatively similar results, though with a slightly improved outcome observed with the graphene additive. These results provide valuable insights into the role of conductive additives in structural batteries and their responsiveness to varying operational conditions, underlining the potential for versatile energy storage solutions.