Carbon Materials For Energy Storage Research Articles

Direct carbonization of cellulose toward hydroxyl-rich porous carbons for pseudocapacitive energy storage

Designing carbon materials with specific oxygen-containing functional groups is very attractive for the precise decoration of carbon electrode materials and the basic understanding of specific charge storage mechanisms, which contributes to the further development of high-performance carbon materials for energy storage and conversion applications. In this contribution, a hydroxyl-rich micropore-dominated porous carbon material was obtained by direct carbonization of cellulose. The content of oxygen atoms in hydroxyl form in the obtained carbon is nearly 6 at.%. With the pyrolysis temperature changed, the macroscopic morphology, the specific surface area, surface functional groups, and graphitization degree of the carbon materials were changed strongly. Besides, the carbon material obtained with a carbonization temperature of 900 °C (C9) showed enhanced specific capacitance in sulfuric acid, sodium hydroxide, and sodium sulfate aqueous electrolytes, which mainly originates from the contribution of pseudocapacitance. The pseudocapacitance mainly depends on the presence of surface hydroxyl functional groups. Besides, the pseudocapacitance value of C9 material in neutral electrolytes (151.34 F g−1) is about twice that in acidic (75.9 F g−1) and alkaline (75.78 F g−1) electrolytes.

A Universal Method for Regulating Carbon Microcrystalline Structure for High-Capacity Sodium Storage: Binding Energy As Descriptor.

Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) are attracting worldwide attention due to their multiple merits including abundant reserve and safety. However, industrialization is challenged by the scarcity of high-performance carbon anodes with high specific capacities. Here, we report the metal-assisted microcrystalline structure regulation of carbon materials to achieve high-capacity sodium storage. Systematic investigations of in situ thermal-treatment X-ray diffraction and multiple spectroscopies uncover the regulation mechanism of constructing steric hindrance (C-O-C bonds) to restrain the aromatic polycondensation reaction. The carbon precursor of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-type pitch contributes to a high carbon yield rate (40%) compared with those of resin and biomass precursors. The as-synthesized carbon materials deliver high capacities of up to 390 mAh g-1, surpassing many reported carbon anodes for SIBs. Through correlating specific capacity with ID/IG values in Raman spectra and theoretical calculation of carbon materials regulated by different metal elements (Mn, Nb, Ce, Cr, and V), we identify and propose the binding energy as the descriptor for characterizing the capability of regulating the carbon microcrystalline structure to promote sodium storage. This work provides a universal method for regulating the carbon structure, which may lead to the controlled design and fabrication of carbon materials for energy storage and conversion and beyond.

Lignin-derived 0–3 dimensional carbon materials: Synthesis, configurations and applications

Different dimensional (0D–3D) carbon materials with tailorable compositions and nanostructures have attracted widespread attention and are promising for a wide range of applications in energy storage, adsorption, and catalysis. Lignin, as a typical renewable, low-cost, highly aromatic, and high carbon content bio-component, presents compelling potential in the preparation of multifunctional carbon materials. Currently, numerous lignin-derived carbon materials in different dimensions have been developed successfully. Moreover, by structural design and surface modification, lignin-derived carbon materials with desirable properties can be obtained. This work presents a comprehensive overview on the preparation techniques employed for lignin-derived carbon materials as well as the configurations and applications of the obtained lignin-derived carbon materials. First, advances in cutting-edge research on the preparation of lignin-derived carbon materials (pyrolysis-activation and template methods) are summarized. When lignin is used as a carbon precursor, carbon materials with different dimensions such as 0D, 1D, 2D, or 3D with complex compositions (e.g., heteroatom doping or metal loading) can be prepared. Additionally, the applications of lignin-derived carbon materials for energy storage, adsorption and catalysis are reviewed. Finally, prospects and potential challenges in designing and developing lignin-derived carbon materials are discussed in depth.

"Liquid-To-Solid" Conversion of Biomass Wastes Enhanced by Uniform Nitrogen Doping for the Preparation of High-Value-Added Carbon Materials for Energy Storage with Superior Characteristics.

Sustainable human development urgently calls for decreasing the cost of energy storage. Continuous massive consumption of dedicated carbon electrode materials with complex internal molecular architectures requires rethinking both the source of materials and the process of their production. Finding an efficient sustainable solution is focused on the reuse and development of waste processing into corresponding high-value-added carbon materials. The processing of solid wastes into solid value-added carbon materials ("solid-to-solid") is relatively well developed but can be a two-stage process involving carbon architecture rearrangement and heteroatom doping. Processing liquid wastes into high-value-added solid material ("liquid-to-solid") is typically much more challenging with the need for different production equipment. In the present study, a new approach is developed to bypass the difficulty in the "liquid-to-solid" conversion and simultaneously built in the ability for heteroatom doping within one production stage. Polycondensation of liquid humins waste with melamine (as a nitrogen-containing cross-linking component) results in solidification with preferential C and N atomic arrangements. For subsequent thermochemical conversion of the obtained solidified wastes, complicated equipment is no longer required, and under simple process conditions, carbon materials for energy storage with superior characteristics were obtained. A complete sequence is reported in the present study, including liquid waste processing, nitrogen incorporation, carbon material production, structural study of the obtained materials, detailed electrochemical evaluation and real supercapacitor device manufacture and testing.

Electron-ion conjugation sites co-constructed by defects and heteroatoms assisted carbon electrodes for high-performance aqueous energy storage

Rapid preparation strategies of carbon-based materials with a high power density and energy density are crucial for the large-scale application of carbon materials in energy storage. However, achieving these goals quickly and efficiently remains challenging. Herein, the rapid redox reaction of concentrated H2SO4 and sucrose was employed as a means to destroy the perfect carbon lattice to form defects and insert large numbers of heteroatoms into the defects to rapidly form electron-ion conjugated sites of carbon materials at room temperature. Among prepared samples, CS-800-2 showed an excellent electrochemical performance (377.7 F g−1, 1 A g−1) and high energy density in 1 M H2SO4 electrolyte owing to its large specific surface area and a significant number of electron-ion conjugated sites. Additionally, CS-800-2 exhibited desirable energy storage performance in other aqueous electrolytes containing various metal ions. The theoretical calculation results revealed increased charge density near the carbon lattice defects, and the presence of heteroatoms effectively reduced the adsorption energy of carbon materials toward cations. Accordingly, the constructed “electron-ion” conjugated sites comprising defects and heteroatoms on the super-large surface of carbon-based materials accelerated the pseudo-capacitance reactions on the material surface, thereby greatly enhancing the energy density of carbon-based materials without sacrificing power density. In sum, a fresh theoretical perspective for constructing new carbon-based energy storage materials was provided, promising for future development of high-performance energy storage materials and devices.

An N,P,O-doped porous carbon electrode material derived from a lignin-modified chitosan xerogel for a supercapacitor

Lignin is a promising candidate for obtaining porous carbon materials for energy storage because it has the highest carbon content compared with the other two main components. While it is the main challenge to realize the high electrochemical performance by controlling the pore structure and improving the conductivity of carbon materials. In the present study, lignin was introduced into a chitosan solution after being chemical activated by degradation liquefaction to form a gel network with the introduction of β-glycerophosphate as a cross-linking agent. In this procedure, the formed gel network provided a basic porous structure for further obtaining highly porous carbon after the following carbonization and activation. In the same procedure, N, P, and O heteroatoms were doped in, which were efficiently preserved in the final derived porous carbon to produce the polar hierarchical porous carbon. The prepared porous carbon under optimized conditions achieved a high specific area of 2107.3 m2/g, with an average pore diameter of 3.63 nm. A high specific capacity of 534.9 F/g at a current density of 1 A/g was obtained. Simultaneously, the coin-type symmetric supercapacitors (with an ionic liquid electrolyte) based on the derived carbon also exhibit an outstanding energy density (58 Wh/kg at 375 W/kg and 11.5 Wh/kg at 4500 W/kg). This work explored an effective strategy for the application of the lignin resource in the field of energy storage materials.

Activating biomass carbon with metallurgical slag by pyrolysis in molten salt for high-performance supercapacitors.

Pyrolysis of sustainable biomass to advanced carbon materials for energy storage is key-enabling in energy and environmental sustainability. However, obtaining carbon materials with well-defined microstructure and composition for high-performance energy storage is extremely challenging. Herein, efficient activation of biomass carbon is realized by introducing extra metallurgical slag during pyrolysis of coconut shell in Na2CO3-K2CO3 molten salt. The molten salt guides the formation of carbon with a hierarchical honeycomb-like nanostructure, while the metallurgical slag facilitates enhanced doping of the heteroatom species, conjointly contributing to the increase of the specific surface area of carbon materials from 424 m2 g-1 to 1451 m2 g-1 and the extension of the single N dopant to multiple dopants of N, P, Zn and Co. Such adequate tuning of the microstructure and composition in the pyrolysis product increases the capacitance for supercapacitors from 30 F g-1 to 135 F g-1 at 0.5 A g-1. The results can provide new insights for the controllable upgradation of both biomass and waste industrial slag toward enhanced energy storage.

Activation of nipah fruit coir-derived carbon material with KOH and NH3 for supercapacitor cell applications

Chemical impregnation is a simple and low-cost activated carbon activation method that can engineer the electrochemical properties of supercapacitor cell electrodes. The carbon material was derived from nipah fruit coir biomass by optimizing chemical activator reagents (without activating agents, KOH, NH3). The carbon material derived from nipah fruit coir is synthesized through of pre-carbonization, chemical activation, carbonization-activation physics in an integrated manner. The carbonization process uses N2 gas flow at a temperature of 600℃ with a flow rate of 1.5 l/min and a heating rate of 3ºC/min, as well as physical activation using CO2 gas at a temperature of 800°C with a flow rate of 1 l/min and a heating rate of 10ºC/min. Electrochemical properties were analyzed using Cyclic Voltametry (CV) and Galvanostatic Charge-Discharge (GCD) methods. The symmetrical supercapacitor based on SBN electrode material has an optimum specific capacitance of 224 Fg-1 at a scan rate of 1mV/s in an aqueous electrolyte (H2SO4 1M) operated at a potential of 1V. These results provide a clear, simple and easy synthesis strategy for the large-scale conversion of sustainable waste biomass into activated carbon materials for energy storage and conversion applications.

Mesopore-dominated porous carbon derived from vinasse for high performance supercapacitors with different electrolytes

Porous carbon electrode materials with appropriate proportion of hierarchical pores are critical for high performance supercapacitors. Here, a mesopore-dominated hierarchical porous carbon was reported. KOH, melamine (MA), and the carbonized vinasse were sequentially mixed using dry ball milling, the mixture was pyrolyzed to acquire mesopore-dominated porous carbon. The pore structure can be controlled by adjusting the addition amount of melamine. The optimal sample with high meso-porosity, large total pore volume, ultrahigh specific surface area (SSA) and hydrophilicity makes it performs quite well in different electrolytes. A high specific capacity of 413 F g −1 was achieved and retained 267 F g −1 at a high rate of 50 A g −1 with excellent capacitance retention (107 % after 10000 cycles). The symmetrical supercapacitor gained a superior energy density of 16.7 Wh kg −1 , 21.2 Wh kg −1 , 54.0 Wh kg −1 in 6 M KOH, 1 M Na 2 SO 4 , 1 M Et 4 NBF 4 /ACN electrolyte, respectively. This work opens a new strategy for the preparation and high-efficient application of biomass porous carbon materials in energy storage. • Mesopore-dominant vinasse-based porous carbon. • Innovatively using dry ball milling to add melamine for mixing. • NVCP-1 with high SSA of 3442.97 m 2 g −1 and large pore volume of 2.41 cm 3 g −1 . • NVCP-1 shows excellent performance in three different electrolytes.

Nitrogen-doped hollow carbon polyhedron derived from metal-organic frameworks for supercapacitors

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) derived carbon materials have great potential to be utilized as electrode materials in the field of energy storage and conversion. In the present work, nitrogen-doped hollow carbon polyhedron and hollow carbon sphere are synthesized using MOFs coated with carboxylated polystyrene (PS) microspheres as precursors. The morphology evolution of the hollow carbon has been discussed, which are subject to the reactant concentration and solvothermal temperature. The as-prepared hollow carbon has superior electrochemical performances for supercapacitors, owning to the hollow structure, high specific areas and nitrogen doping. The discharge specific capacitances of the hollow carbon polyhedron and hollow carbon sphere are respectively 160.2 F/g and 186.4 F/g under 0.2 A/g current density. Furthermore, the capacitance retentions of the hollow carbon polyhedron and hollow carbon sphere are 96.4 % and 98.9 % after 10,000 cycles, presenting excellent cycling stability. This work could provide new insight into the controllable design and synthesis of hollow carbon materials for energy storage.

Low-temperature hydrothermal carbonization of pectin enabled by high pressure

Pectin is an important component of biomass waste widely existing in the plant cell wall. Hydrothermal carbonization of pectin can produce carbon materials for energy storage, adsorption, and catalysis. However, pressure is generally the self-generated pressure in the hydrothermal reaction, which changes with temperature during the heating process. The independent effect of pressure on the hydrothermal reaction of pectin is unclear and has not been investigated before, especially the effect of high pressure at a low temperature. In this study, by performing the hydrothermal treatment of pectin under different pressures (up to 20 MPa) at a fixed temperature of 200 °C, we found that high pressure could effectively promote carbonization. To understand the mechanism of pressure effect on hydrochar properties, the produced hydrochars were characterized by elemental analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), N2 adsorption/desorption, Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), while pyrolysis and combustion behaviors were analyzed using the thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA). The mechanism of high pressure was cleaving the hydroxyl groups, ester carbonyl groups, and aliphatic structures with the process of dehydration and decarboxylation. More aromatic structures were formed in hydrochars with higher carbon content, resulting in a structure with better thermal stability. Carbon spheres with a larger diameter could be formed under higher pressure. The promoting effect was strongest in the range of 2–8 MPa and weaker under higher pressures (8–20 MPa). Future studies may improve the degree of hydrothermal carbonization of pectin by applying an appropriate high pressure.

A review of the synthesis of carbon materials for energy storage from biomass and coal/heavy oil waste

A review of the synthesis of carbon materials for energy storage from biomass and coal/heavy oil waste

Microalgae biomass-derived nitrogen-enriching carbon materials as an efficient pH-universal oxygen reduction electrocatalyst for Zn-air battery

Microalgae, with robust nutrition intake capacity and rapid growth rate, could enrich large amounts of nutrition elements (N and P) and CO2 from the environment, providing an effective way to counter water eutrophication and global warming. However, how to effectively dispose the massive biomass rich in carbon and nutrition contents is still a big challenge. In this work, the microalgae biomass was used as a precursor to synthesize the N-enriching porous carbon materials via a facile pyrolysis method. The as-synthesized materials exhibited robust electrocatalytic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activities in both alkaline and acidic media, showing a superb catalytic ORR activity (high catalytic activity, favorable durability, as well as excellent tolerance to methanol and CO). Large surface area with mesopore structure, as well as abundant active nitrogen sites were mainly responsible for their robust electrocatalytic performance. The pyridinic N species was identified as the ORR catalytic site, and its contribution was quantitatively analyzed. The performance of the as-assembled Zn-air battery equipped with the as-synthesized N-enriching carbon materials for air cathode catalyst further confirms its superb effectiveness for ORR. The results provided in this work would provide a sustainable and cost-effective method to produce high-performance carbon materials for energy storage and conversion from the large-scale biomass wastes.

Three-dimensional zanthoxylum Leaves-Derived nitrogen-Doped porous carbon frameworks for aqueous supercapacitor with high specific energy

A unique three-dimensional zanthoxylum leaves-derived nitrogen-doped porous carbon frameworks (ZLPC) with hollow nanostructures have been developed by one-step carbonization and mixed metal salts-assisted co-activation process. Compared with the traditional template carbonization or two-step carbonization strategy, the presented method can combine carbonization, activation and heteroatom doping to improve the synthesis efficiency. Based on the unique three-dimensional framework structure, large specific surface area, high graphitization degree and effective nitrogen doping, the ZLPC exhibits satisfactory electrochemical performance. In particular, the symmetric supercapacitor based on ZLPC electrode material possesses high specific energy of 18.68 Wh kg−1 at a specific power of 225 W kg−1 operated in the voltage of 1.8 V in Na2SO4 aqueous electrolyte and excellent cycle stability (92% after 20,000 charge cycle). These results provide a clear, simple and feasible synthesis strategy for large-scale converting sustainable biomass waste to porous carbon materials for energy storage and conversion applications.

High performance electrode of few-layer-carbon@bulk-carbon synthesized via controlling diffusion depth from liquid phase to solid phase for supercapacitors

The novel structure of few-layer [email protected] carbon is synthesized via controlling diffusion depth from liquid phase (KOH aqueous) to solid phase (carbon precursor) for using tamarisk-tree as carbon precursor. Few-layer [email protected] carbon shows the highest specific capacitance of 413.0 F g − 1 with specific surface area of 1964.2 m2 g − 1. The symmetric supercapacitor assembled with few-layer [email protected] carbon delivers a maximum specific energy of 20.2 and 9.83 Wh kg−1 in Li2SO4 and KOH electrolyte, respectively. Specific capacitance of the device maintains 93.5% of the initial value at 4 A g − 1 in KOH electrolyte after 10, 000 cycles. The high electrochemical performance and good cycle stability exhibits the potential application of this kind of biomass based carbon materials in energy storage.

Recent progress on MOF‐derived carbon materials for energy storage

AbstractMetal‐organic frameworks (MOFs) are of quite a significance in the field of inorganic‐organic hybrid crystals. Especially, MOFs have attracted increasing attention in recent years due to their large specific surface area, desirable electrical conductivity, controllable porosity, tunable geometric structure, and excellent thermal/chemical stability. Some recent studies have shown that carbon materials prepared by MOFs as precursors can retain the privileged structure of MOFs, such as large specific surface area and porous structure and, in contrast, realize in situ doping with heteroatoms (eg, N, S, P, and B). Moreover, by selecting appropriate MOF precursors, the composition and morphology of the carbon products can be easily adjusted. These remarkable structural advantages enable the great potential of MOF‐derived carbon as high‐performance energy materials, which to date have been applied in the fields of energy storage and conversion systems. In this review, we summarize the latest advances in MOF‐derived carbon materials for energy storage applications. We first introduce the compositions, structures, and synthesis methods of MOF‐derived carbon materials, and then discuss their applications and potentials in energy storage systems, including rechargeable lithium/sodium‐ion batteries, lithium‐sulfur batteries, supercapacitors, and so forth, in detail. Finally, we put forward our own perspectives on the future development of MOF‐derived carbon materials.

2020 Roadmap on Carbon Materials for Energy Storage and Conversion.

Carbon is a simple, stable and popular element with many allotropes. The carbon family members include carbon dots, carbon nanotubes, carbon fibers, graphene, graphite, graphdiyne and hard carbon, etc. They can be divided into different dimensions, and their structures can be open and porous. Moreover, it is very interesting to dope them with other elements (metal or non-metal) or hybridize them with other materials to form composites. The elemental and structural characteristics offer us to explore their applications in energy, environment, bioscience, medicine, electronics and others. Among them, energy storage and conversion are extremely attractive, as advances in this area may improve our life quality and environment. Some energy devices will be included herein, such as lithium-ion batteries, lithium sulfur batteries, sodium-ion batteries, potassium-ion batteries, dual ion batteries, electrochemical capacitors, and others. Additionally, carbon-based electrocatalysts are also studied in hydrogen evolution reaction and carbon dioxide reduction reaction. However, there are still many challenges in the design and preparation of electrode and electrocatalytic materials. The research related to carbon materials for energy storage and conversion is extremely active, and this has motivated us to contribute with a roadmap on 'Carbon Materials in Energy Storage and Conversion'.

Nitrogen-doped hierarchically structured porous carbon as a bifunctional electrode material for oxygen reduction and supercapacitor

Development of an efficient electrode material with robust porous architecture, high catalytic activity and excellent electrochemical performance toward both oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and supercapacitor is extremely important. Herein, a facile route to fabricate nitrogen-doped hierarchical porous carbon (NHPC) materials as a bifunctional electrode material for ORR and supercapacitors is presented. The as-prepared NHPC-0.5 integrate the feature of high-level nitrogen-doping (12.1 at %), large specific surface area (up to 1798.4 m2 g−1) and hierarchical multi-pores of cross-linked micro and mesoporous channels. When used as ORR electrocatalyst, the NHPC-0.5 demonstrated highest selectivity (four-electron transfer process), high activity (half-wave potential 0.883 V vs. RHE, initial potential 1.004 V vs. RHE) and favorable tolerance against methanol. When tested its application in zinc-air batteries, its maximum output power density was 25.1 mW cm−2, and delivers a superior durability of negligible potential loss after 100 cycles. When applied in supercapacitor, the NHPC-0.5 can deliver a high specific capacitance of 283.7 F g−1 at current density of 1 A g−1 in 1 M H2SO4 electrolyte, and outstanding cyclic stability (105.8% capacitance retention after 40,000 cycles). Moreover, a symmetric supercapacitor (NHPC-0.5//NHPC-0.5) can release an energy density of 11.3 W h kg−1 at the power density of 502 W kg−1. The encouraging results of this work may provide a new perspective to construct N-doped hierarchical porous carbon materials in energy storage devices with excellent electrochemical performance.

Carbon materials from melamine sponges for supercapacitors and lithium battery electrode materials: A review

AbstractWith the increasing energy demand together with the deteriorating environment and decreasing fossil fuel resources, the development of highly efficient energy conversion and storage devices is one of the key challenges of both fundamental and applied research in energy technology. Melamine sponges (MS) with low density, high nitrogen content, and high porosity have been used to design and obtain three‐dimensional porous carbon electrode materials. More importantly, they are inexpensive, environment‐friendly, and easy to synthesize. There have been many reports on the modification of carbonized MS and MS‐based composites for supercapacitor and lithium battery electrode materials. In this paper, recent studies on the fabrication of electrode materials using MS as raw materials have been mainly reviewed, including carbonation, doping activation, and composite modification of MS, and expectations for the development of porous carbon materials for energy storage as a reference with excellent performance, environment‐friendliness, and long life.

Component Degradation-Enabled Preparation of Biomass-Based Highly Porous Carbon Materials for Energy Storage

In this work, a facile and effective route is introduced to optimize the performance of biomass-based porous carbon materials by partially degrading the component (e.g., lignin, hemicellulose, and ...