Study of high conductivity electrode for superior performance lithium-ion batteries based on low tortuosity corn straw biochar/VS4 with multichannel structure

Abstract

It is an effective measure to achieve the application agricultural waste and the development of sustainable energy by effectively utilizing the corn straw with natural multichannel structure in electrochemical energy storage devices. Corn straw biochar as a sustainable and environmentally friendly form of clean energy, serves as a carbon-based material in electrode of lithium-ion batteries. The natural multi-channels and sieve tube structure is the foundation for the electrode with low tortuosity. Within the traditional carbon materials, these characteristics are not commonly presented. In this study, a strategy is proposed to boost the performance of the electrode by devising and modifying its structure. The multichannel and porous structure within the electrodes is achieved by leveraging the natural structure of corn straw. This unique structure can bring low tortuosity in the electrode, thereby facilitating the construction of the direct ions transfer channels and continuous electrons pathways. Moreover, the inherent nitrogenous feature of biochar result in enhanced surface polarity, enabling the electrode material to trap the polar polysulfides efficiently. Additionally, the multichannel and porous structure of electrode also bring sufficient space to accommodate volume expansion, thereby improving the stability of electrode. Therefore, this work points an effective approach to harnessing the potential of corn straw and also constructing an electrode with a multichannel and porous structure and low tortuosity, ultimately enhancing the electrochemical performance for lithium batteries.