Properties and mechanisms of Sodium Ion Battery (SIB) anodes are explored using a variety of carbon precursors and materials including: sucrose, naturally ocurring polymers and glassy carbon. Using a sucrose-based carbon anode material, we are able to demonstrate that reversible capacity is inversely propertional to the BET surface area -- and thus the exposed surface carbon atoms. Incresases in exposed carbon atoms lead to sharp decreases in reversible capacity. Though the sucrose derived carbon material has high initial reversible capacities at the current rate of 40 mA g?-1?, it experiences noticeable fading after 500+ cycles at a current rate of 200mA g-1. We speculate that this was caused due to graphitic structures within the carbon material which leads us to search for other types of candidate carbon materials that were devoid of graphitic character such naturally occuring polymers and glassy carbon. We discover that unlike the sucrose carbon, these materials did not experience as significant fading during long term cycling. Furthermore, the glassy carbon shows the opposite trend when it came to increases in surface area: reversible capacity increased along with increases in surface area.This leads us to draw the conclusions that a carbon anode material for use in SIB must possess a low surface area along with an abundance of closed pores for a high reversible capacity, and be devoid of graphitic character to ensure stable long term cycling.

Properties needed of carbon based anodes for use in sodium ion batteries

248th National Meeting (2014)

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