Enhanced capacity and rate capability of carbon nanotube based anodes with titanium contacts for lithium ion batteries.

Carbon nanotubes are being considered for adoption in lithium ion batteries as both a current collector support for high-capacity active materials (replacing traditional metal foils) and as free-standing electrodes where they simultaneously store lithium ions. The necessity to establish good electrical contact to these novel electrode designs is critical for success. In this work, application of nickel and titanium as both separable and thin film electrical contacts to free-standing single-wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT) electrodes is shown to dramatically enhance both the reversible lithium ion capacity and rate capability in comparison with stainless steel.