Athos-Graphene: Computational Discovery of an Art-Inspired 2D Carbon Anode for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Abstract: Two-dimensional (2D) carbon allotropes have attracted growing interest for their structural versatility and potential in energy storage and nanoelectronics. We propose Athos-Graphene (AG), a novel 2D carbon allotrope inspired by the geometric patterns of Brazilian artist Athos Bulc~ao. Designed using density functional theory, AG features a periodic structure with high thermodynamic and thermal stability, as evidenced by a low cohesive energy of -7.96 eV/atom, the absence of imaginary phonon modes, and robust performance in ab initio molecular dynamics simulations up to 1000 K. It exhibits anisotropic mechanical properties, with Young's modulus values of 585 GPa and 600 GPa along the x- and y-directions, and Poisson's ratios of 0.19 and 0.17, respectively. Electronic structure analyses confirm its metallic behavior, while optical studies reveal anisotropic absorption in the visible and UV regions. For lithium-ion storage, Athos-Graphene shows strong Li adsorption (-2.3 to -1.0 eV), a high theoretical capacity of 836.78 mAh/g, and a low average open-circuit voltage of 0.54 V. Lithium diffusion barriers are as low as 0.3 eV on the surface and 0.66 eV between layers, with a high diffusion coefficient greater than 6x10^-6 cm^2/s. These features highlight AG as a promising anode material for high-performance lithium-ion batteries.