The lithium storage performance of electrolytic-carbon from CO2

Abstract

Abstract Sustainable and affordable energy resources are urgently demanded to mitigate environmental issues. Herein, carbon materials, prepared by electrochemical reduction of greenhouse gas, CO 2 , in Li-Na-K carbonate molten salts (electrolytic-carbon), are tested as negative electrode materials for Li-ion batteries. Owing to the small particle size and suitable surface area, the electrolytic-carbon exhibits a high reversible capacity of 798 mAh g −1 (more than two times of graphites’ theoretical capacity) at 50 mA g −1 and 266 mAh g −1 with a stable cyclability over 500 cycles at a current density up to 500 mA g −1 , as well as remarkable rate performance. Furthermore, a comprehensively study was conducted to investigate the effects of electrolysis temperature and cell voltage on the electrochemical performance of the electrolytic-carbon. These results demonstrate a promising strategy to develop renewable high-performance carbon negative electrode materials for Li-ion batteries by molten salt capture and electrochemical reduction of CO 2 .