In rechargeable lithium-ion batteries – the most common type, used in things like laptop computers and cell phones – one of the two electrodes is graphite, a form of pure carbon consisting of sheets of carbon atoms. Lithium ions are forced between the carbon sheets when the battery is charged and come back out again when the battery is discharged, explains Robert Hamers, a Wisconsin Distinguished Professor and chair of the UW-Madison chemistry department.
Office of Strategic Communication