Exploiting Lithium–Ether Co‐Intercalation in Graphite for High‐Power Lithium‐Ion Batteries

Abstract The intercalation of lithium ions into graphite electrode is the key underlying mechanism of modern lithium‐ion batteries. However, co‐intercalation of lithium‐ions and solvent into graphite is considered undesirable because it can trigger the exfoliation of graphene layers and destroy the graphite crystal, resulting in poor cycle life. Here, it is demonstrated that the [lithium–solvent] + intercalation does not necessarily cause exfoliation of the graphite electrode and can be remarkably reversible with appropriate solvent selection. First‐principles calculations suggest that the chemical compatibility of the graphite host and [lithium–solvent] + complex ion strongly affects the reversibility of the co‐intercalation, and comparative experiments confirm this phenomenon. Moreover, it is revealed that [lithium–ether] + co‐intercalation of natural graphite electrode enables much hi…