LAUSR

Abstract We examine the effect of nitrogen dopants in Few-layer graphene (FLG) cathodes on anion intercalation. Different nitrogen dopant configurations within the FLG were achieved by varying the synthesis parameters and their effects are compared. The dopant configurations of the samples were determined via X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and formation energies were calculated using density functional theory, allowing correlation between cell performance and dopant configuration. The reduced ion intercalation within the nitrogen doped FLG, and thus poor charge/discharge characteristics of nitrogen doped FLG cathodes, is attributed to the reduced mobility of the chloroaluminate ions in the presence of nitrogen dopants.