The Electrochemical Performance of Carboxymethyl Cellulose Lithium as a Binding Material for Anthraquinone Cathodes in Lithium Batteries

The water-soluble binder carboxymethyl cellulose lithium (CMC-Li) is synthesized by acidification and neutralization reactions. The prepared CMC-Li binders are characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), thermogravimetic analysis (TGA) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The electrochemical performance of the 9, 10-anthracenedione (AQ) electrodes with different binders are investigated by galvanostatic discharge/charge, cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy techniques. Tested as the binding material in a lithium cell at room temperature, the CMC-Li electrode shows better electrochemical performance compared to a PVDF electrode. It exhibits a specific capacity of up to 214 mAh·g −1 at the initial discharge, and its specific capacity is maintained at 62 mAh·g −1 after 50 cycles. In addition, it has better stability during the charge and discharge processes. Furthermore, the electrochemical performance of the CMC-Li-1, which has a higher DS (DS = 1.0), is superior to CMC-Li-2, which has a lower DS (DS = 0.62). (DS is the degree of substitution of –OH groups of the cellulose molecules by –CH 2 COOR groups, when R = Na, H, Li, the products are CMC-Na, CMC-H, CMC-Li, respectively)