We are continuing our introduction to graphene materials characterization techniques. It’s time to write a few words about testing the electrochemical properties of G-Flake® conducted by Flake Graphene Research Group at Łukasiewicz – Institute of Microelectronics and Photonics.
Prior to examination, graphene material needs to be synthesized and formed into an electrode, which will undergo further testing. In Flake Graphene Research Group, we prepare such cells in a glovebox and proceed to test them with the Atlas MBI battery tester, which allows us to conduct galvanostatic charge-discharge tests. This procedure involves cyclic charging and discharging of the cell with a constant current and within a specified voltage range.
As a result, we can determine key parameters related to energy storage materials, including capacity (which describes the amount of energy that can be stored in the cell) and Coulombic efficiency (which provides information about the reversibility and stability of the tested material.)
It’s important to note that the tested properties are influenced by the features of the graphene material used for electrode fabrication, such as flake size, reduction level, material structure, and purity. Therefore, it is of paramount importance to control synthesis parameters and select graphene materials suited for this application.