Electrochemical preparation of metal chloride-sulfuric acid-graphite bi-intercalation compound

Abstract

Stage-2 metal chloride-GICs (metal chloride: AlCl₃, BiCl₃ and CuCl₂) prepared in the standard two-zone method were oxidized galvanostatically in H₂SO₄.
The electrode potential vs. electric quantity curves observed during the electrochemical treatment and the X-ray powder patterns of the products showed clearly the intercalation of H₂SO₄ into metal chloride-GICs and the formation of the graphite biintercalation compounds (GBCs) of metal chloride and H₂SO₄.
The c axis repeat distance I_c of the GBCs was equal to the sum of those of metal chloride-GIG and of H₂SO₄-GIC.