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Atomistic Insights into the Effects of Phosphorous Doping of Graphene Anode in a Lithium Ion Battery

Inspired by a recent experimental and theoretical study [Yang et al., 2017], wherein protrusions in graphene have been proposed as an effective strategy to enhance the performance of sodium ion batteries, a comprehensive study of the effects of phosphorus doping in graphene on adsorption and diffusion behaviour of Li is carried out by using density functional theory. We find that protrusion introduced by P-dopant in graphene enhances the adsorption of a single Li atom onto the anode due to an additional partial covalent bonding character between Li and carbon atoms of the substrate. However, with increase in concentration of Li atoms, they tend to form clusters which may lead to dendrite growth and hence battery failure. Finite density of states at Fermi level ensures the electronic conductivity of the P-doped graphene before and after the adsorption of a Li atom. No momentous variation in DOS is observed except a small up shift in Fermi level with increased Li concentration. The presence of such protrusions acts as trapping centres for Li and hinders their migration over the substrate, leading to poor cycling performance of anode. This atomic level study will act as a useful guideline for further development of anode materials for novel battery technologies.