Lithium Accommodation Determined by Nanotube Type

Nanotechweb.org reported that researchers at the United States’ Northwestern University and Argonne National Laboratory have discovered that the electronic type of a single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) determines how well it can accommodate lithium.

SWCNTs are often used as add-ons in lithium-ion batteries “to improve charge and discharge rates, and the cycling life of the battery.”

As quoted in the market news:

[Mark] Hersam and colleagues found that metallic SWCNTs accommodate lithium much more efficiently than their semiconducting counterparts. Another important discovery was that, if made denser, the semiconducting SWCNT films also begin to take up lithium at levels comparable to metallic SWCNTs. This is because lithium is more easily accommodated at the junctions between tubes, says Hersam.

Click here to read the full Nanotechweb.org report.