Hollow carbon fibers derived from biomass as enhanced anode materials for lithium- and potassium-ion batteries

• Published in: Ionics Vol. 30; no. 2; pp. 727 - 736
• Main Authors: Meng, Yanhong, Li, Wenxin, Li, Yan, Liu, Zijin, Chen, Hongming, Zhou, Dan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.02.2024; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Anodes; Biomass; Carbon fibers; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Condensed Matter Physics; Diffusion rate; Dynamic stability; Electrochemistry; Electrode materials; Energy Storage; Lithium-ion batteries; Optical and Electronic Materials; Potassium; Pyrolysis; Raw materials; Rechargeable batteries; Renewable and Green Energy; Structural stability; Lithium-ion batteries; Hollow carbon fibers; Biomass; Anode; Potassium-ion batteries
• ISSN: 0947-7047; 1862-0760
• DOI: 10.1007/s11581-023-05340-0

Carbon materials demonstrate huge potential in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and potassium-ion batteries (PIBs) due to the rich resources and considerable electrochemical reaction activity. However, the raw materials of most carbon materials come from non-renewable fossil materials with harsh and costly synthesis process, hindering the sustainable application in energy storage. Herein, raw materials derived from phoenix tree fruits were collected and treated by a direct pyrolysis process, obtaining novel biomass-based hollow carbon fibers material (HCFs). The HCFs consist of carbon shell with interleaved wrinkles in the inner wall, which can offer abundant active reaction sites, fast charge diffusion dynamics, and enhanced structural stability for electrochemical storage. When used as anode material for LIBs, the HCFs deliver large initial discharge/charge capacities of 949.7/321.9 mAh g −1 and a high reversible capacity of 331.9 mAh g −1 after 200 cycles at 100 mA g −1 and long cycling capability of 140.5 mAh g −1 at 1000 mA g −1 after 2000 cycles. When assembled into PIBs, considerable K-storage performance was also obtained. This work paves a new route for the exploration of biomass-based carbon materials and the facile design of unique hollow carbon fibers for high-performance rechargeable LIBs and PIBs.