Fabrication of electrospinning-derived carbon nanofiber webs for the anode material of lithium-ion secondary batteries

A carbon nanofiber-based electrode, exhibiting a large accessible surface area (derived from the nanometer-sized fiber diameter), high carbon purity (without binder), relatively high electrical conductivity, structural integrity, thin web macromorphology, a large reversible capacity (ca. 450 mA h g(-1)), and a relatively linearly inclined voltage profile, is fabricated by nanofiber formation via electrospinning of a polymer solution and its subsequent thermal treatment. It is envisaged that these characteristics of this novel carbon material will make it an ideal candidate for the anode material of high-power lithium-ion batteries (where a high current is critically needed), owing to the highly reduced lithium-ion diffusion path within the active material.