Nitrogen-doped porous carbon derived from horn as an advanced anode material for sodium ion batteries

Abstract

From the green and economic point of view, the strategy of electrode materials fabrication applying generally abundant and easy accessibility raw materials is of great significance. The electrochemical performance of sodium ion batteries was enhanced by applying nitrogen doped porous carbon (NDPC) as the anode. The anode material was fabricated with ox horn as biomass precursor through an economically viable and an environmentally benign approach and the sodium storage property of the NDPC was investigated. The as-obtained NDPC shows a high initial reversible capacity of 419 mAh g−1 at a current density of 100 mA g−1, and good rate performance (117 mAh g−1 at a current density of 5 A g−1) as well as long cycling durability (255 mAh g−1 at a current density of 100 mA g−1 after 300 cycles). The superior electrochemical performance can be ascribed to the large specific surface area, interconnected porosity, and the appropriate nitrogen doping, which are favorable for accumulating sodium ions rapidly and reversibly through surface adsorption and surface redox reactions.