Effect of turbostratic disorder in graphitic carbon hosts on the intercalation of lithium

The amount of lithium, ${\mathit{x}}_{\max }$, which can be intercalated in a graphitic carbon host is affected by the amount of turbostratic disorder in the host. Using electrochemical methods, we show that ${\mathit{x}}_{\max }$ in ${\mathrm{Li}}_{\mathit{x}\max }$ ${\mathrm{C}}_6$ is given by ${\mathit{x}}_{\max }$=1-P, where P is the probability of finding a random rotation or translation (turbostratic disorder) between adjacent graphite layers, implying that the interlayer spaces or galleries between randomly stacked layers do not host lithium ions. These ‘‘blocked ’’ galleries influence the staged phases and the compositions of stage-1 (${\mathit{x}}_{\max }$) and stage-2 (${\mathit{x}}_{2\mathrm{m}\mathrm{a}\mathrm{x}}$) materials. A simple model is proposed to explain the variation of the composition of the stage-2 phase, ${\mathit{x}}_{2\mathrm{m}\mathrm{a}\mathrm{x}}$, with P.