Carbonaceous Electrodes Research Articles

Hierarchical Sandwich-Like Structure of Ultrafine N-Rich Porous Carbon Nanospheres Grown on Graphene Sheets as Superior Lithium-Ion Battery Anodes.

A sandwich-like, graphene-based porous nitrogen-doped carbon (PNCs@Gr) has been prepared through facile pyrolysis of zeolitic imidazolate framework nanoparticles in situ grown on graphene oxide (GO) (ZIF-8@GO). Such sandwich-like nanostructure can be used as anode material in lithium ion batteries, exhibiting remarkable capacities, outstanding rate capability, and cycling performances that are some of the best results among carbonaceous electrode materials and exceed most metal oxide-based anode materials derived from metal orgainc frameworks (MOFs). Apart from a high initial capacity of 1378 mAh g(-1) at 100 mA g(-1), this PNCs@Gr electrode can be cycled at high specific currents of 500 and 1000 mA g(-1) with very stable reversible capacities of 1070 and 948 mAh g(-1) to 100 and 200 cycles, respectively. At a higher specific current of 5000 mA g(-1), the electrode still delivers a reversible capacity of over 530 mAh g(-1) after 400 cycles, showing a capacity retention of as high as 84.4%. Such an impressive electrochemical performance is ascribed to the ideal combination of hierarchically porous structure, a highly conductive graphene platform, and high-level nitrogen doping in the sandwich-like PNCs@Gr electrode obtained via in situ synthesis.

Helically coiled carbon nanotube electrodes for flexible supercapacitors

Novel highly flexible electrodes consisting of helically coiled carbon nanotubes (HCNTs) have been developed for flexible supercapacitors (SCs). Hierarchically mesoporous HCNTs are synthesized on unidirectional carbon fiber (UCF) by catalytic chemical vapor deposition. Free-standing HCNTs grown on UCF (HCNTF) is further used as electrode cum current collector for fabricating flexible SCs. Highly bendable UCF serves both as the substrate for the synthesis of HCNTs and as current collector for the SC. No separate secondary current collector is used in this study. The microstructure and surface morphology of the HCNTF hybrid is characterized by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy, the chemical structure is determined by Raman spectroscopy, the chemical bonding states are examined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and the surface area is measured by Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area measurement. The electrochemical properties of HCNTF SC are examined by cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and galvanostatic charge/discharge measurements. The HCNTF hybrid exhibits open mesoporous nanostructure with an average pore size of 3.8 nm. The bendability of HCNTF SC is tested by carrying out the galvanostatic charge/discharge measurement by bending the SC at different angles and the study reveals that the SC is highly bendable. The HCNTF SC exhibits a maximum gravimetric capacitance of 125.7 F g−1 with an area specific capacitance of 145.3 mF cm−2 at a current density of 0.28 mA cm−2. The supercapacitive performance of the HCNTF SC is found to be superior to that of the SCs utilizing straight-CNTs based electrodes. The present study opens-up the successful development of novel carbonaceous electrode with helical nanostructure for application particularly in SCs.

High performance of activated multi-walled carbon nanotube composite electrode in KI redox electrolyte

High performance electrodes for supercapacitor usually are achieved by compositing conductive and redox materials, the former such as multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), graphene, etc., provide the electrical double-layer capacitances that far less than pseudo-capacitances of the later (metal oxide, polyaniline, and so on). Here, carbonaceous composite electrode of MWCNTs and the redox electrolyte are combined into an electrochemical system for high synergetic effect of capacitance. MWCNT is activated by acid treatment and its structures are characterized by scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffraction, and Infrared spectroscopy analyses. The electrochemical measurements of resultant electrodes showed an excellent synergetic effect. The acid-activated MWCNTs electrode exhibited the maximum specific capacitance of 682 F/g in 0.2 M KI redox electrolytes, which is about 2–20 times larger than MWCNTs and its composite electrode in universal electrolyte without KI.

Modified Activated Carbon Electrodes for Advanced Supercapacitors

The development of highly sophisticated portable electronic devices and the electro-mobility revolution, require new power sources with very high power density. Consequently, we see in recent years an accelerated development of super-capacitors of several kinds. These include electric-double layer (EDL) capacitors, based on purely electrostatic interactions, and the so-called pseudo-capacitors, which electrodes include surface red-ox species adsorbed to their surface within the porous structure and enhance the electrodes’ specific capacitance. The voltage (E) that can be applied to these devices is very important, because the energy density is proportional to E2. The potential applied depends on the electrolyte solutions used. Indeed, super-capacitors can be classified also according to the electrolyte solutions used and the potential applied. Using acidic or basic aqueous solutions enable to obtain fast electrostatic interactions at relatively high specific capacitance, but the potential applied is below 1V. Aqueous super-capacitors based on neutral solutions (e.g., electrolytes like Li2SO4) can operate at potentials >1.5V but their specific capacitance is lower compared to systems with acidic or basic solutions. The use of non-aqueous solutions enables to operate high voltage super/pseudo-capacitors, that may reach energy density of the same order of magnitude as that of aqueous rechargeable batteries (e.g. lead acid battery systems). In this presentation we present results related to super and pseudo capacitors that reflect novel approaches. We demonstrate how the use of red-ox species in solution phase which adsorb to porous carbonaceous electrodes can enhance the specific capacity of both aqueous and non-aqueous super-capacitors1. We will discuss what are the real limiting reactions of capacitive electrodes in non-aqueous solutions, including ionic liquids. In fact, possible intercalation of cations and anions at extreme potentials, into graphitic nano-crystallites that always exist in activated carbons is a major limiting factor in these systems, because such intercalation processes damage the structure of the activated carbon electrodes and lead to their degradation. In an another example, we demonstrate modification of high surface area activated carbon electrodes with 3D carbon nano-dots (C-dots). We explore these composite electrodes in supercapacitor ystems. For the first time, we propose herein the modification of activated carbon (AC) by a uniform deposition of highly crystalline carbon dots (C-dots) and used this novel material as electrode for supercapacitors. C-dots were synthesized by sonication of polyethylene glycol followed by sonochemical modification of AC matrices with the as prepared C-dots. We studied the sonochemical effect of the C-dots deposition into the AC and their incorporation into the pores. The porosity of the AC/C-dots and the reference AC materials and the impact of C-dots loading on the performance of electrodes comprising these AC/C-dots composites were explored. It was found that AC/C-dots electrodes demonstrate specific capacitance which is almost 3 times higher compared to that of unmodified AC electrodes. It was established that the new electrode material "activated carbon/carbon dots" exhibits very stable behavior. In all our durability experiments we test the electrodes along many thousands of cycles. We demonstrate herein highly stable , high capacity composite electrodes for super-capacitors with a Coulombic efficiency around 100%.

Enhanced electrical power generation using flame-oxidized stainless steel anode in microbial fuel cells and the anodic community structure

BackgroundCarbon-based materials are commonly used as anodes in microbial fuel cells (MFCs), whereas metal and metal-oxide-based materials are not used frequently because of low electrical output. Stainless steel is a low-cost material with high conductivity and physical strength. In this study, we investigated the power generation using flame-oxidized (FO) stainless steel anodes (SSAs) in single-chambered air-cathode MFCs. The FO-SSA performance was compared to the performance of untreated SSA and carbon cloth anode (CCA), a common carbonaceous electrode. The difference in the anodic community structures was analyzed using high-throughput sequencing of the V4 region in 16S rRNA gene.ResultsFlame oxidation of SSA produced raised node-like sites, predominantly consisting of hematite (Fe2O3), on the surface, as determined by X-ray diffraction spectroscopy. The flame oxidation enhanced the maximum power density (1063 mW/m2) in MFCs, which was 184 and 24 % higher than those for untreated SSA and CCA, respectively. The FO-SSA exhibited 8.75 and 2.71 times higher current production than SSA and CCA, respectively, under potentiostatic testing conditions. Bacteria from the genus Geobacter were detected at a remarkably higher frequency in the biofilm formed on the FO-SSA (8.8–9.2 %) than in the biofilms formed on the SSA and CCA (0.7–1.4 %). Bacterial species closely related to Geobacter metallireducens (>99 % identity in the gene sequence) were predominant (93–96 %) among the genus Geobacter in the FO-SSA biofilm, whereas bacteria with a 100 % identity to G. anodireducens were abundant (>55 %) in the SSA and CCA biofilms.ConclusionsThis is the first demonstration of power generation using an FO-SSA in MFCs. Flame oxidation of the SSA enhances electricity production in MFCs, which is higher than that with the common carbonaceous electrode, CCA. The FO-SSA is not only inexpensive but also can be prepared using a simple method. To our knowledge, this study reveals, for the first time, that the predominant Geobacter species in the biofilm depends on the anode material. The high performance of the FO-SSA could result from the particularly high population of bacteria closely related to G. metallireducens in the biofilm.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13068-016-0480-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Identification and Mitigation of Generated Solid By-Products during Advanced Electrode Materials Processing.

A scalable, solid-state elevated-temperature process was developed to produce high-capacity carbonaceous electrode materials for energy storage devices via decomposition of a starch-based precursor in an inert atmosphere. In a separate study, it is shown that the fabricated carbonaceous architectures are useful as an excellent electrode material for lithium-ion, sodium-ion, and lithium-sulfur batteries. This article focuses on the study and analysis of the formed nanometer-sized by-products during the lab-scale synthesis of the carbon material. The material production process was studied in operando (that is, during the entire duration of heat treatment). The unknown downstream particles in the process exhaust were collected and characterized via aerosol and liquid suspensions, and they were quantified using direct-reading instruments for number and mass concentrations. The airborne emissions were collected using the Tsai diffusion sampler (TDS) for characterization and further analysis. Released by-product aerosols collected in a deionized (DI) water trap were analyzed, and the aerosols emitted from the post-water-suspension were collected and characterized. After long-term sampling, individual particles in the nanometer size range were observed in the exhaust aerosol with layer-structured aggregates formed on the sampling substrate. Upon the characterization of the released aerosol by-products, methods were identified to mitigate possible human and environmental exposures upon industrial implementation.

Electrolyte additives for lithium ion battery electrodes: progress and perspectives

The need for lighter, thinner, and smaller products makes lithium ion batteries popular power sources for applications such as mobile phones, laptop computers, digital cameras, electric vehicles, and hybrid electric vehicles. For high power applications, the development of high capacity and high voltage electrode materials is in progress. Battery performance and safety issues are also related to the properties of the electrolytes used. To improve the properties of the electrolytes, small amounts of other components, known as electrolyte additives, are incorporated. This paper reviews the recent progress in electrolyte additives used to improve performance and other properties, such as safety. This review classifies the additives based on their functions and their effects on specific electrode materials focusing on electrodes under current development. From anodes: carbonaceous electrodes, silicon, tin and Li4Ti5O12; from layered cathodes: LiCoO2, Li-rich and LiNiyMnyCo1−2yO2 (NMC); from spinel: LiMn2O4, and from olivine: LiFePO4 are selected. We believe that this approach will help readers easily identify and understand the additives suitable for their target materials.

Biomass-derived carbonaceous positive electrodes for sustainable lithium-ion storage.

Biomass derived carbon materials have been widely used as electrode materials; however, in most cases, only electrical double layer capacitance (EDLC) is utilized and therefore, only low energy density can be achieved. Herein, we report on redox-active carbon spheres that can be simply synthesized from earth-abundant glucose via a hydrothermal process. These carbon spheres exhibit a specific capacity of ∼210 mA h gCS(-1), with high redox potentials in the voltage range of 2.2-3.7 V vs. Li, when used as positive electrode in lithium cells. Free-standing, flexible composite films consisting of the carbon spheres and few-walled carbon nanotubes deliver high specific capacities up to ∼155 mA h gelectrode(-1) with no obvious capacity fading up to 10,000 cycles, proposing to be promising positive electrodes for lithium-ion batteries or capacitors. Furthermore, considering that the carbon spheres were obtained in an aqueous glucose solution and no toxic or hazardous reagents were used, this process opens up a green and sustainable method for designing high performance, environmentally-friendly energy storage devices.

Unprecedented metal-free 3D porous carbonaceous electrodes for full water splitting

Nitrogen, phosphorus and oxygen tri-doped porous graphite carbon@oxidized carbon cloth electrodes exhibit excellent activity and durability for full water splitting at all pH values.

XPS Study of the Interface Evolution of Carbonaceous Electrodes for Li-O2 Batteries during the 1st Cycle

The surface chemistry of the commonly employed positive electrode substrate Super C65 carbon was investigated during the 1st cycle of a Li-O2 battery with a typical ether electrolyte (0.2 M LiTFSI in Diglyme) by performing in situ online electrochemical mass spectrometry (OEMS), ex situ scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). During discharge, a nanometer-thin (< 5 nm) layer of Li2O2 forms homogeneously throughout the electrode before it is passivated at a final specific charge of ∼365 mAh/g. Higher discharge charge rates lead to thinner and more densely packed layers of Li2O2. Electrolyte decomposition also occurs in parallel, as evidenced by the continuous increase of LiF and sulfur containing species of the degraded LiTFSI salt. On charge, O2 evolves initially according to a 2e−/O2 rate, but as the cell over-potentials increase, O2 evolution rate approaches 4e−/O2, thus demonstrating a significant extent of parasitic side-reactions. Unlike the discharge, the charge leads to inhomogeneous electrode reactions causing a continuous removal of Li2O2 with no indication of LiO2 or Li2O intermediates. The decomposition side-products formed during discharge are also removed and the spectra of the pristine electrode are nearly retained at a full charge. Our results show that the analysis of Li-O2 battery chemistry requires broad approach based on the combination of various electrode surface sensitive techniques, such as XPS and OEMS, in order to provide further fundamental understanding of the mechanisms behind the complex electrochemistry involving the Li and O2 as well as several other predominant degradation products of the electrode and electrolyte.

Sustainable carbon nanofibers/nanotubes composites from cellulose as electrodes for supercapacitors

Supercapacitors are efficient energy storage devices with long lifetime and safe service. Their effectiveness, to a big extent, is dependent on electrode materials used for accumulation of energy in form of electrostatic charges. Over the last decades, variety of carbonaceous electrode materials has been used in supercapacitors. Mostly the production of such electrodes is still oriented on unsustainable fossil fuels as precursors instead of sustainable renewable resources. In this study, freestanding carbonaceous electrode materials for supercapacitors were derived from cellulose, the most abundant renewable resource. They were synthesized via carbonization of fibrillar cellulose impregnated with CNTs (carbon nanotubes). The ensuing composite materials consisted of a CNF (carbon nanofiber) scaffold (fiber diameter in the range of 50–250 nm) covered with layers of CNTs (tube diameter in the range of 1–20 nm). Moreover, these composites were tested as electrode materials for supercapacitors. Incorporation of the CNTs into the CNFs improved electrical conductivity and also increased the surface area of the produced composite materials, which led to high specific capacitance values (up to 241 F g−1), cyclic stability, and power density of these materials in electrochemical measurements. These results suggest that cellulose-derived original CNF/CNT composites are sustainable and efficient carbonaceous electrodes for supercapacitors.

All-carbon based graphene field effect transistor with graphitic electrodes fabricated by e-beam direct writing on PMMA.

A so called all-carbon based graphene field effect transistor (GFET) in which the electrodes are composed of graphite-like nano-sheets instead of metals in the traditional devices is fabricated by one-step e-beam direct writing (EBDW). It is also found that the graphite-like nano-sheets in electrodes are perpendicular to the channel graphene, which is confirmed by the transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The one-step fabrication of the carbonaceous electrodes is more convenient and lower-cost comparing to the preparation of traditional metal electrodes and can be applied to many other nano-electronic devices.

Highly porous activated carbons from resource-recovered Leucaena leucocephala wood as capacitive deionization electrodes

Highly porous activated carbons were resource-recovered from Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) de Wit. wood through combined chemical and physical activation (i.e., KOH etching followed by CO2 activation). This invasive species, which has severely damaged the ecological economics of Taiwan, was used as the precursor for producing high-quality carbonaceous electrodes for capacitive deionization (CDI). Carbonization and activation conditions strongly influenced the structure of chars and activated carbons. The total surface area and pore volume of activated carbons increased with increasing KOH/char ratio and activation time. Overgasification induced a substantial amount of mesopores in the activated carbons. In addition, the electrochemical properties and CDI electrosorptive performance of the activated carbons were evaluated; cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge/discharge measurements revealed a typical capacitive behavior and electrical double layer formation, confirming ion electrosorption in the porous structure. The activated-carbon electrode, which possessed high surface area and both mesopores and micropores, exhibited improved capacitor characteristics and high electrosorptive performance. Highly porous activated carbons derived from waste L. leucocephala were demonstrated to be suitable CDI electrode materials.

Self-templating Scheme for the Synthesis of Nanostructured Transition-Metal Chalcogenide Electrodes for Capacitive Energy Storage

Because of their unique structural features including well-defined interior voids, low density, low coefficients of thermal expansion, large surface area and surface permeability, hollow micro-/nanostructured transition-metal sulfides with high conductivity have been investigated as a new class of electrode materials for pseudocapacitor applications. Herein, we report a novel self-templating strategy to fabricate well-defined single- and double-shell NiCo2S4 hollow spheres, as a promising electrode material for pseudocapacitors. The surfaces of the NiCo2S4 hollow spheres consist of self-assembled two-dimensional mesoporous nanosheets. This unique morphology results in a high specific capacitance (1263 F g–1 at 2 A g–1), remarkable rate performance (75.3% retention of initial capacitance from 2 to 60 A g–1), and exceptional reversibility with a cycling efficiency of 93.8% and 87% after 10 000 and 20 000 cycles, respectively, at a high current density of 10 A g–1. The cycling stability of our ternary chalcogenides is comparable to carbonaceous electrode materials, but with much higher specific capacitance (higher than any previously reported ternary chalcogenide), suggesting that these unique chalcogenide structures have potential application in next-generation commercial pseudocapacitors.

Benchmarking Metal and Metal Oxide Promoters for Oxygen Evolution Reaction in Li-O2 Cells

Despite high theoretical capacity, a Li-O2 cell has suffered from huge oxidation potential polarization on carbon-based positive electrode for charge (>4.2 V vs. Li/Li+), due to sluggish decomposition of non-conductive discharge product, lithium peroxide (Li2O2 ↔ 2Li+ + O2 + 2e-) [1]. Such high potential triggers side reactions such as degradation of electrolyte and carbonaceous electrode, which results in poor cycle-ability [1]. To mitigate this problem during oxygen evolution reaction (OER), solid-state metal or metal oxide nanoparticles (indicated as promoters), which have been widely employed as catalysts in aqueous media, were introduced to the electrode [2]. However, the specific role of promoters in the Li-O2 battery is little known due to complication from accompanying parasitic side reactions [3]. In addition, reasonable comparison of promoters’ activities is not feasible under different performance conditions when various reports were referred [2]. Therefore, to gain a reasonable assessment of their activities in the Li-O2 cell and an understanding of the promoters’ role, it is necessary to examine Li-O2 cells with these promoters under the same condition and analyze their reaction processes in detail. Here I present diagnosis of the true role of promoters, representative of platinum (Pt), gold (Au), palladium (Pd) and cobalt oxide (Co3O4), for OER in Li-O2 cells. After preparation of comparable size and mass loading of promoters on carbon nanotube (CNT) electrode, the Li-O2 cells containing these promoter/CNT combinations were examined using galvanostatic mode under the same operating conditions. The promoter/CNT electrodes show reasonably lower charge potentials than the promoter-free electrode for the 1st charge. Through in situ gas analysis of online electrochemical mass spectroscopy (OEMS) and ex situ chemical analysis of X-ray near-edge fine structure (XANES) spectroscopy, the evolved gas amount and remaining product after charge could be correlated, which accounted for the true reaction occurring for each promoter.

Iron oxide-decorated carbon for supercapacitor anodes with ultrahigh energy density and outstanding cycling stability.

Supercapacitor with ultrahigh energy density (e.g., comparable with those of rechargeable batteries) and long cycling ability (>50000 cycles) is attractive for the next-generation energy storage devices. The energy density of carbonaceous material electrodes can be effectively improved by combining with certain metal oxides/hydroxides, but many at the expenses of power density and long-time cycling stability. To achieve an optimized overall electrochemical performance, rationally designed electrode structures with proper control in metal oxide/carbon are highly desirable. Here we have successfully realized an ultrahigh-energy and long-life supercapacitor anode by developing a hierarchical graphite foam-carbon nanotube framework and coating the surface with a thin layer of iron oxide (GF-CNT@Fe2O3). The full cell of anode based on this structure gives rise to a high energy of ∼74.7 Wh/kg at a power of ∼1400 W/kg, and ∼95.4% of the capacitance can be retained after 50000 cycles of charge-discharge. These performance features are superior among those reported for metal oxide based supercapacitors, making it a promising candidate for the next generation of high-performance electrochemical energy storage.

Capacitive effects of nitrogen doping on cellulose-derived carbon nanofibers

Carbons with valuable electrochemical characteristics are among the most convenient electrode materials used for energy storage. At the moment, their production is mostly reliant on unsustainable fossil fuels. A preferential sustainable production of enhanced carbonaceous electrodes can be achieved with more extensive utilization of abundant renewable resources instead of fossils. In this study, nitrogen-doped carbon nanofibers (CNFs) were synthesized from cellulose, the most abundant renewable resource, via consecutive steps of cellulose acetate electrospinning, subsequent deacetylation to cellulose, impregnation with nitrogen-containing additive (ammonium chloride), and carbonization. Results of material characterization showed that the carbonization of functionalized cellulose samples led to formation of CNFs doped with 4–5.6 at.% of nitrogen. In comparison with pristine CNFs N-doped samples had a slightly lower specific surface area, but higher conductivity and hydrophilicity. Moreover, electrochemical measurements indicated that the enhanced N-doped materials had about 2.5 times higher specific capacitance which was increasing throughout 1000 charge–discharge cycles. These results suggest that nitrogen doping method used in this study has a positive pseudocapacitive effect on the electrochemical performance of carbonized cellulose materials.

Analysis of bio-anode performance through electrochemical impedance spectroscopy

In this paper we studied the performance of bioanodes under different experimental conditions using polarization curves and impedance spectroscopy. We have identified that the large capacitances of up to 1mF·cm−2 for graphite anodes have their origin in the nature of the carbonaceous electrode, rather than the microbial culture.In some cases, the separate contributions of charge transfer and diffusion resistance were clearly visible, while in other cases their contribution was masked by the high capacitance of 1mF·cm−2. The impedance data were analyzed using the basic Randles model to analyze ohmic, charge transfer and diffusion resistances. Increasing buffer concentration from 0 to 50mM and increasing pH from 6 to 8 resulted in decreased charge transfer and diffusion resistances; lowest values being 144Ω·cm2 and 34Ω·cm2, respectively. At acetate concentrations below 1mM, current generation was limited by acetate. We show a linear relationship between inverse charge transfer resistance at potentials close to open circuit and saturation (maximum) current, associated to the Butler–Volmer relationship that needs further exploration.

Oxidised stainless steel: a very effective electrode material for microbial fuel cell bioanodes but at high risk of corrosion

Bioelectrochemical systems (BES) are gaining momentum as biotechnological alternatives for self-powered wastewater treatment and the recovery of valuable products from waste. However, there is a strong need to reduce system costs and therefore some types of stainless steel (SS) electrodes have been proposed as an alternative to carbonaceous electrode materials, but their corrosion remains a strong concern. We hereby demonstrate that a facile SS modification results in up to 45.367mAcm−3 current production at room temperature – the highest volumetric current density reported to date for BES bioanodes–but that this benefit comes at a high risk of corrosion, which compromises the applicability of SS-based Microbial Fuel Cells.

The Stability of Carbonaceous Electrodes in Ether Based Electrolyte Solutions for Advanced Li Batteries

In this work we have studied the stability and performance of hard carbon in comparison with petroleum coke (soft carbon) as electrode materials for Li-ion batteries in an ethereal and alkyl carbonate based electrolyte solutions. 1 M bis(triflouromethane) sulfonimide lithium salt (LiTFSI) in diethylene glycol dimethyl ether (diglyme)) and a mixture of dimethyl carbonate (DMC)/mono-fluorinated ethylene carbonates (FEC) 4:1 (%v) with 1 M Lithium hexaflourophosphate (LiPF6) where chosen as representative solutions for this study. The motivation for this work is the potential importance of ethereal solutions for high energy density Li-S and Li-O2 batteries and the possibility of using carbons as an alternative to Li metal anodes in these systems. An acceptable performance of hard carbon electrodes in the ether based solutions was demonstrated. In contrast, soft carbon electrodes which preform very well in alkyl carbonates solutions behave poorly in the ethereal solutions. Their failure mechanism was explored and is explained in this report.