Three-dimensional Porous Carbon Materials Research Articles

Highly tunable three-dimensional porous carbon produced from tea seed meal crop by-products for high performance supercapacitors

Biomass-derived carbon materials arouse immense research interest in electrochemical energy storage field. Especially, their pore structure has a critical influence on the charge storage performance, so it is always extremely desirable and challenging to achieve the controlled preparation of advanced carbon materials with highly tunable porous structure. In this work, three-dimensional honeycomb-like porous carbon materials are controllably fabricated from the tea seed meal crop by-products. The as-prepared carbon nanostructures showcase the multiple advantages including hierarchical porosity, large surface area, and N, O, S, P self-doping, rendering it promising candidate as electrode material for electrochemical energy storage units. The fabricated carbon electrode indicates a remarkable gravimetric capacitance of 384 F/g at 0.5 A/g in the aqueous electrolyte of KOH, and a suitable steadiness keeping 97.4% of the initial capacitance after ten thousand cycles at 20 A/g. Moreover, using Na2SO4 neutral aqueous electrolyte, the equivalent symmetric supercapacitor device produces a favorable specific energy of 19.17 Wh kg−1 at 500 W kg−1 with a 2.0 V potential window.

Recent advance in three-dimensional porous carbon materials for electromagnetic wave absorption

With the increasingly serious electromagnetic wave (EMW) pollution, the development of high-performance EMW absorbing materials (EWAMs) has become a hot topic. Carbon-based EWAMs have excellent chemical stability, high electrical conductivity, and strong dielectric loss. In particular, three-dimensional (3D) porous carbon-based EWAMs have been widely developed in the EMW absorption field. The 3D porous structure not only reduces the materials’ mass density, but also improves the multiple reflections of incident EMWs and impedance matching. The carbon-based EWAMs are thus expected to achieve the goals of low density, low thickness, wide absorption bandwidth, and strong absorption. Herein, we first restated the relevant theoretical basis and evaluation methods. Then, we summarized the recent research progress of 3D porous carbon-based EWAMs with the source of the materials as the main clue. Some unique and novel viewpoints were highlighted. Finally, the challenges and prospects of 3D porous carbon-based EWAMs were put forward, which is helpful for guiding a further development of high-performance EWAMs.

Catalytically Active CoSe2 Supported on Nitrogen-Doped Three Dimensional Porous Carbon as a Cathode for Highly Stable Lithium-Sulfur Battery.

Lithium-sulfur batteries are promising secondary energy storage devices that are mainly limited by its unsatisfactory cyclability owing to inefficient reversible conversion of sulfur and lithium sulfide on the cathode during the discharge/charging process. In this study, nitrogen-doped three-dimensional porous carbon material loaded with CoSe2 nanoparticles (CoSe2 -PNC) is developed as a cathode for lithium-sulfur battery. A combination of CoSe2 and nitrogen-doped porous carbon can efficiently improve the cathode activity and its conductivity, resulting in enhanced redox kinetics of the charge/discharge process. The obtained electrode exhibits a high discharge specific capacity of 1139.6 mAh g-1 at a current density of 0.2 C. After 100 cycles, its capacity remained at 865.7 mAh g-1 thus corresponding to a capacity retention of 75.97 %. In a long-term cycling test, discharge specific capacity of 546.7 mAh g-1 was observed after 300 cycles performed at a current density of 1 C.

Three-Dimensional Hierarchical Porous Carbons Derived from Betelnut Shells for Supercapacitor Electrodes.

Electrochemical energy storage (EES) systems are attracting research attention as an alternative to fossil fuels. Advances in the design and composition of energy storage materials are particularly significant. Biomass waste-derived porous carbons are particularly suitable for use in EES systems as they are capable of tuning pore networks from hierarchical porous structures with high specific surface areas. These materials are also more sustainable and environmentally friendly and less toxic and corrosive than other energy storage materials. In this study, we report the creation of a three-dimensional hierarchical porous carbon material derived from betelnut shells. The synthesized three-dimensional (3D) hierarchical porous carbon electrode showed a specific capacitance of 290 F g−1 using 1 M KOH as an electrolyte at a current density of 1 A g−1 in three-electrode systems. Moreover, it offered a high charge/discharge stability of 94% over 5000 charge–discharge cycles at a current density of 5 A g−1. Two-electrode symmetric systems show a specific capacitance of 148 F g−1, good cyclic stability of 90. 8% for 5000 charge-discharge cycles, and high energy density of 41 Wh Kg−1 at the power density of 483 W Kg−1 in aqueous electrolyte.

A novel three-dimensional network-based stearic acid/graphitized carbon foam composite as high-performance shape-stabilized phase change material for thermal energy storage

Three-dimensional porous carbon materials have received extensive attention as supports for shape-stabilized phase change materials (PCMs). In order to improve the loading capacity, thermal conductivity and encapsulation performance for PCMs, a three-dimensional graphitized carbon foam (GCF) was developed with gradient hierarchical porous surface. The GCF was successfully prepared by pyrolysis of nano-magnesium oxide/epoxy resin mixture followed by surface treatment through a carbon-thermal reaction of Fe 2 O 3 . Using the GCF prepared at 1200 °C (GCF-1200) as a support for stearic acid (SA), a novel three-dimensional network-based SA/GCF composite was achieved as shape-stabilized PCM. The results show that the GCF-1200 has a large SA loading capacity of 84.66 wt% without any liquid leakage. The prepared SA/GCF-1200 composite exhibits a good interfacial bonding between the GCF-1200 and SA without obvious phase separation in its fracture surface. The composite possesses a high compressive strength of 9.45 MPa increasing by about 3.02-fold compared with the GCF-1200, and meanwhile has a significantly improved thermal conductivity of 1.012 W/m K by 4.36 times that of pristine SA. In addition, the melting and freezing enthalpy for the composite was measured as 181.8 and 182.7 J/g, respectively, which corresponds to a thermal storage efficiency of up to 99.9%. More importantly, it presents excellent thermal reliability and chemical stability without evident changes in enthalpy after 200 thermal cycles. Therefore, the composite has a great potential for thermal energy storage applications. • Graphitized carbon foam (GCF) is obtained with gradient hierarchical porous surface. • Large loading capacity and high thermal conductivity of the GCF is achieved. • A good interfacial bonding between the GCF and stearic acid (SA) is observed. • A three-dimensional network-based shape-stabilized SA/GCF composite is prepared. • The composite phase change material has a good thermal stability and reliability.

N-doped three-dimensional porous carbon materials derived from bagasse biomass as an anode material for K-ion batteries

To realize the sustainability of potassium-ion (K-ion) batteries for large-scale energy storage applications, a resource-abundant and cost-effective anode material is the key to design. Herein, we develop nitrogen-doped three-dimensional biomass porous activated carbon materials using bagasse biomass waste by carbonization and further activation with NiCl2 and urea as an advanced anode material for K-ion batteries. The results demonstrate that NiCl2 is an important factor in the formation of porous structure and nitrogen doping also promotes the change of morphology, enabling fast transport of K+ and electrons. More importantly, the as-synthesized carbon material could exhibit a superior K-storage property with a reversible capacity of 100.4 mAh g−1 at a current density of 200 mA g−1 over 400 cycles without any obvious capacity fading in K-ion batteries. This work provides significant guideline for structural design in large-scale application.

Balsa wood derived three-dimensional hierarchical porous carbon materials as an anode material for K-ion batteries

Balsa wood derived three-dimensional hierarchical porous carbon materials as an anode material for K-ion batteries

A novel iron-based composite flocculant for enhanced wastewater treatment and upcycling hazardous sludge into trifunctional electrocatalyst

Sewage sludge, an unavoidable by-product of industrial wastewater treatment, is facing multitudinous challenges in drawing a cost-effective compromise between environmental and economic acceptance. The aim of this research is to produce high-quality energy materials by utilizing hazardous waster as precursors. A novel inorganic-organic composite flocculant was first manufactured and used as an efficient binary-coagulant for enhanced dyes removal and Fe-containing textile sludge (TS-Fe) production from dyeing wastewater. Then, three-dimensional interconnected hierarchical porous iron-nitrogen doped carbon materials (TS-Fe-N-C) were fabricated by pyrolysis of TS-Fe to realize the resource recovery. Upon accurate control the composition of TS-Fe-N-C, the optimal TS-Fe-N-C-0.23 has excellent performance for oxygen reduction reaction (half-wave potential of 0.837 V), oxygen evolution reaction (overpotential of 0.328 V at 10 mA cm-2), and hydrogen evolution reaction (overpotential of 0.144 V at 10 mA cm-2). Moreover, Zn-air battery and water splitting device based on TS-Fe-N-C-0.23 electrodes displayed satisfactory energy density (770.0 mAh g-1), power density (120.5 mW cm-2), and low water splitting voltage (1.70 V @ 10 mA cm-2). This study suggests that rational design of flocs by conventional wastewater treatment technologies is an effective strategy for optimizing the composition of sludge and boosting the additional value to the sludge-derived biochar product.

Simultaneous determination of paracetamol and Dopamine, and detection of bisphenol a using Three-dimensional interconnected porous carbon functionalized with ionic liquid

Three-dimensional interconnected porous carbon (3DIPC) materials were successfully prepared by a simple one-step pyrolysis reaction from sodium citrate. Then, the 3DIPC was combined with 1-vinyl-3-ethylimidazolium tertrafluoroborate [(VEIM)BF 4 ] and ultrasonicated to form 3DIPC-ionic liquid (3DIPC-IL). The 3DIPC-IL modified glassy carbon electrode (3DIPC-IL/CS/GCE) displayed good electrocatalytic activity toward paracetamol (PA), dopamine (DA), and bisphenol A (BPA). • Three-dimensional interconnected porous carbon (3DIPC) materials were successfully prepared firstly and then combined with 1-vinyl-3-ethylimidazolium tertrafluoroborate [(VEIM)BF 4 ] to form 3DIPC-ionic-liquid (3DIPC-IL). • The fabricated 3DIPC-IL chitosan coated glassy carbon modified electrode (3DIPC-IL/CS/GCE) displayed good electrocatalytic activity toward paracetamol (PA), dopamine (DA), and bisphenol A (BPA). • The modified electrode possesses good selectivity to PA and DA, and can be used to simultaneous determination of PA and DA. • The electrochemical sensor exhibits high sensitivity, good stability, and good selectivity for the determination of PA and DA, BPA. In this work, three-dimensional interconnected porous carbon (3DIPC) materials were successfully prepared by a simple one-step pyrolysis reaction from sodium citrate. Then, the 3DIPC was combined with 1-vinyl-3-ethylimidazolium tertrafluoroborate [(VEIM)BF 4 ] and ultrasonicated to form 3DIPC-ionic liquid (3DIPC-IL). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used to determine the structure and morphology of the 3DIPC and 3DIPC-IL. The fabricated 3DIPC-IL chitosan coated glassy carbon modified electrode (3DIPC-IL/CS/GCE) displayed good electrocatalytic activity toward paracetamol (PA), dopamine (DA), and bisphenol A (BPA). Using this technique, PA and DA can be detected simultaneously and BPA can be detected as well. Under ideal conditions, the sensor displays two linear ranges of 1.0 to 200 μM and 200 to 700 μM for PA and of 1.0 to 100 μM and 100 to 500 μM for DA. In addition, a linear range of 2.0 to 100.0 μM was established for BPA. The detection limits of PA, DA, and BPA were determined to be 0.58 μM, 0.13 μM, and 0.028 μM (S/N = 3), respectively. The 3DIPC-IL/CS/GCE also exhibits high sensitivity, good stability, and good selectivity for the determination of PA, DA, and BPA.

Fabrication of Robust, Highly Conductive, and Elastic Hybrid Carbon Foam Platform for High-Performance Compressible Asymmetry Supercapacitors.

Highly conductive and elastic three-dimensional (3D) porous carbon materials are ideal platforms to fabricate electrodes for high-performance compressible supercapacitors. Herein, a robust, highly conductive, and elastic carbon foam (CF) hybrid material is reported, which is fabricated by integrating cellulose nanofiber/multiwalled carbon nanotube (CNF/MWCNT) aerogel sheets with a melamine sponge (MS), followed by carbonization. The carbonized CNF/MWCNT aerogel sheets contribute to the high conductivity and specific surface area of the CF, and the 3D network-like skeleton derived from the carbonization of the MS enhances the elasticity and stability of the CF. More importantly, the CF possesses good scalability, allowing the introduction of electroactive materials such as polypyrrole (PPy) and Fe3O4 to fabricate high-performance compressible PPy–CF and Fe3O4–CF electrodes. Moreover, an assembled PPy–CF//Fe3O4–CF device shows reversible charging–discharging at a voltage of 1.6 V and demonstrates a high specific capacitance (172.5 F/g) and an outstanding energy density (59.9 W h/kg). The device exhibits capacitance retention rates reaching 98.3% and stable energy storage characteristics even under different degrees of compressive deformation. This study offers a scalable strategy for fabricating high-performance compressible supercapacitors, thereby providing a new means of satisfying the energy storage needs of portable electronic devices that are prone to deformation.

Synthesis of a novel three-dimensional porous carbon material and its highly selective Cr(VI) removal in wastewater

Cr(VI) in water severely affects human health. In this study, a kind of novel 3D porous carbon material (3D-PCM) was prepared using glucose and urea via two-stage-hydrothermal and activation method for Cr(VI) removal in wastewater. The SEM demonstrate that 3D-PCM has a developed pore structure, and BET test shows that its specific surface area reaches 1554.77 m2/g. Batch adsorption experiments showed that the best pH is about 2.0 The Cr(VI) adsorption process on 3D-PCM follows pseudo-second-order kinetics and Freundlich model, and the maximum adsorption capacity reaches 837.19–951.65 mg/g (25–45 °C), which is higher than those of similar adsorbents in the world. Through the combination of chemical characterization and adsorption model analysis indicate that the main adsorption mechanisms on 3D-PCM include electrostatic interactions, ion complexation, physical adsorption, reduction and hydrogen bonding. Moreover, the multi-ion competitive simulation and adsorption and regeneration experiments showed that 3D-PCM has excellent selectivity and regenerative performance for Cr(VI) adsorption. Economic analysis shows that the manufacturing cost of 3D-PCM is low. Therefore, 3D-PCM is an effective and reusable material for Cr(VI) removal, and its preparation method is green and sustainable, which is expected to improve the problem of Cr(VI) pollution in water.

Preparation of high-performance, three-dimensional, hierarchical porous carbon Supercapacitor materials and high-value-added potassium Humate from cotton stalks

Although the resource utilization of organic solid waste from biomass (OSWB) has been investigated, it is difficult to completely utilize such resources using the existing methods. Therefore, the development of a comprehensive application method would be very significant. Here, a simple process using chemical oxidation of H2O2 was initially developed to prepare potassium humate (HA-K) from cotton stalk peels. Subsequently, we obtained three-dimensional hierarchical porous carbon (3D-HPC) materials by carbonizing and activating the residue after HA-K extraction. Chemical oxidation achieved the effect of “killing two birds with one stone” because it increased the HA-K yield by 40% and the capacitance of the electrode based on 3D-HPC (3OCA-500-650). Compared with the electrode without chemical oxidation, the obtained 3OCA-500-650 exhibited higher specific capacitance (420 F g−1 at 0.5 A g−1), enhanced an energy density (58 Wh kg−1 at a power density of 1300 W kg−1). This work provides a green, facile technology to achieve full utilization of OSWB, which is expected to be effective and scalable for preparing HA-K and electrochemical energy storage materials exhibiting excellent performance.

Three-dimensional Porous Carbon Materials from Waste of Botanical Drugs as an Efficient Biosensing Platform for Pesticides Sensing

Three-dimensional Porous Carbon Materials from Waste of Botanical Drugs as an Efficient Biosensing Platform for Pesticides Sensing

Building Relationships between Molecular Composition of Carbon Precursor and Capacitance of a Hierarchical Porous Carbon-Based Supercapacitor

A series of carbon precursors were obtained via the co-thermal dissolution of coal and wheat straw (WS) with different weight ratios. Three-dimensional hierarchical porous carbon (HPCX) materials w...

Three-dimensional porous carbon derived from different organic acid salts for application in electrochemical sensing.

Three-dimensional porous carbon materials were synthesized by the one-step pyrolysis of organic salts with different numbers of hydroxyl groups on the side chain (sodium tartrate, sodium malate and sodium succinate). Further, the formation of these porous carbon materials was explored. And then, three kinds of carbon materials were used for constructing electrochemical sensors for nitrite detection, respectively. Porous carbon derived from sodium tartrate (PCST) showed the highest electrocatalytic ability for nitrite oxidation among all three materials. The PCST-based sensors allow for rapid detection of nitrite in a wide linear range of 0.1–100 μM with a low detection limit of 0.043 μM. The sensor was applied to detect nitrite in meat samples and the results tested by the developed sensor were consistent with the results obtained by HPLC. We envision that PCST-based electrochemical sensor is promising as an alternative choice for the development of electrochemical analysis.

Three-dimensional porous carbon materials derived from locust for efficient N-O-S co-doped supercapacitors by facile self-template and in-situ doping method

Besides the inexpensive and simple synthesis, pursuing high-energy density whilst maintaining intrinsic high-power density is a huge challenge for supercapacitors (SCs) application. Herein, in-situ Nitrogen(N)-Oxygen(O)-Sulfur(S) co-doped three-dimensional (3D) porous activated carbon materials (A-LPCs) are successfully prepared from the locust pest via a facile one-step carbonization/activation method. The resultant A-LPCs through self-template method exhibit the perfect combination of micro-, meso-, and macropores, desirable pore distribution, large accessible specific surface area (SSA), high degree of graphitization, tunable N, O, S doping as well as excellent wettability, which are beneficial to charge/ion storage and transfer of electrolyte. These features endow the prepared A-LPCs with a high specific capacitance of 433.7 F g−1 at 1 A g−1. The as-prepared electrode material also displays as high as 79% capacitance retention as the current density increases from 1 to 10 A g−1. Moreover, an extremely stable performance is achieved in the prepared electrode system even after long-term service (about 93.17% capacitance retention after 10,000 cycles). Most importantly, the fabricated A-LPCs//A-LPCs symmetric SCs delivers a high coulombic efficiency of 96.18% and the maximum energy density of 23.04 Wh kg−1. These exciting results indicate the A-LPCs derived from locust via self-template shows great potential for high performance SCs applications.

Nitrogen-doped three-dimensional porous carbon anode derived from hard halloysite template for sodium-ion batteries

Halloysite nanotubes were investigated as a hard template for the preparation of multi-functional porous carbon due to their one-dimensional ordered structures and the composition of aluminosilicate. Herein, a novel N-doped three-dimensional porous carbon nanofiber (3D PCN) was obtained following electrospinning, pyrolysis and demineralization of natural halloysite. When used as anodes in Na+-batteries, the obtained 3D PCN exhibited a high specific capacity of 266 mAh·g−1 at a current density of 100 mA·g−1 and super cycling stability with a capacity retention of 91.1% after 5000 cycles at 1 A·g−1. This work can not only extend the application of halloysite in energy storage but also provide a low-cost and promising three-dimensional porous carbon material for advanced Na+ batteries.

Wheat flour-derived nanoporous carbon@ZnFe2O4 hierarchical composite as an outstanding microwave absorber

Thin and lightweight absorbers with strong absorption capacity are future development directions in the field of electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorption. Based on two microwave-absorbing mechanisms, the three-dimensional (3D) porous carbon materials derived from wheat flour were prepared via pyrolysis carbonization. Then, ZnFe2O4 nanospheres were synthesized and distributed on the surface of carbon skeleton by simple solvothermal method. Results showed that microwave absorption performance was significantly improved due to synergistic effects between ZnFe2O4 nanospheres and carbon matrix. With absorber thickness of only 1.8 mm and low filler loading of 20 wt%, the minimum reflection loss could reach as low as −54.1 dB at 14.1 GHz. The widest effective absorption bandwidth ranged from 9.2 GHz to 15.0 GHz (5.8 GHz) with a thickness of 2.5 mm when the filler loading was 10 wt%, covering 36% of entire measured bandwidth. As an absorber, 3D porous carbon@ZnFe2O4 composite exhibited ideal microwave absorption properties because of synergistic effects between dielectric and magnetic loss, well-matched impedance, interfacial polarization, Debye relaxation process as well as multiple reflection and scattering. Considering excellent EMW absorption performance, the porous carbon@ZnFe2O4 composite fabricated by a simple method can provide a new inspiration for designing structure and composition of lightweight microwave absorbers.

Nitrogen-doped porous carbon as cathodes for aluminum-ion batteries

Aluminum-ion batteries are favorable for the next generation of rechargeable batteries by virtue of their high theoretical energy density, high safety and low cost. Graphite with excellent electronic conductivity and large surface area is likely to be the most pleasurable cathode material for aluminum-ion batteries. However, due to the lack of high-performance cathodes and cost-effective electrolytes, aluminum-ion batteries are greatly hindered. Herein, a nitrogen doped three-dimensional porous carbon material cathode (N-3PC) with controlled porous and disordered structures is synthesized via a facile heating reaction in oil bath combined with sintering method. Moreover, the controlled porous structures by the Zn(NO3)2 pore-forming agent method support a very large specific surface area, which is beneficial to a relatively high initial Coulombic efficiency. In terms of open porous structures of N-3PC, the increased disordered structures can not only benefit the diffusion of Al3+ ions but also enlarge the reversible capacity of Al storage. When applied as cathode materials for aluminum-ion batteries, N-3PC cathode showcases rosy rate capability (33 mA h g−1 at 500 mA g−1) and perfect reversible capacity (13 mA h g−1 at a high current density of 2000 mA g−1). Furthermore, the high-performance N-3PC cathode material is prepared via a green approach stemming from low-cost and Zn(NO3)2 template, demonstrating a feasible development of carbon cathode materials for aluminum-ion batteries.

Preparation of nitrogen-doped three-dimensional hierarchical porous carbon/sulfur composite cathodes for high-performance aluminum-sulfur batteries

Aluminum-ion batteries, as a feasible substitute for lithium-ion batteries, have the advantages of high safety, high capacity, low cost and environmental friendliness. However, the cathode material is one of the key factors restricting the performance and practical application of aluminum-ion batteries. Sulfur is becoming a promising cathode material for aluminum-ion batteries due to its considerable theoretical specific capacity. However, the poor conductivity of elemental sulfur seriously limits the development of aluminum-sulfur batteries. In this work, nitrogen doped three-dimensional multi-stage porous carbon materials (N-C/S) were prepared, which were compounded with sulfur to prepare carbon sulfur composite cathode materials. The microstructure, phase morphology, element composition and electrochemical performance were analyzed by various characterization methods. Then, N-C/S composite was used as a positive electrode to assemble a new type of aluminum-sulfur batteries, and its performance was evaluated. This novel high-performance N-C/S composite cathode holds great potential in future high-performance aluminum-sulfur batteries.