Low-cost disordered carbons for Li/S batteries： A high- performance carbon with dual porosity derived from cherry pits

• Published in: Nano research Vol. 11; no. 1; pp. 89 - 100
• Main Author: Celia Hernandez-Rentero;Rafael Cordoba;Noelia Moreno;Alvaro Caballero;Julian Morales;Mara Olivares-Marin;Vicente Gomez-Serrano
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Beijing Tsinghua University Press 2018; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Activated carbon; Atomic/Molecular Structure and Spectra; Biomedicine; Biotechnology; Carbon; Chemistry and Materials Science; Condensed Matter Physics; Electrochemistry; Lithium sulfur batteries; Materials Science; Melting point; Nanotechnology; Porosity; Research Article; Specific capacity; Sulfur; Sulfur content; 碳源;电池;樱桃;表演;双孔;生物资源;电气化学;mAh; cherry stone; activated carbon; sulfur composite; lithium-sulfur batteries; agricultural waste
• ISSN: 1998-0124; 1998-0000
• DOI: 10.1007/s12274-017-1608-1

A micro- and mesoporous carbon obtained from cherry pit waste and activated with HBPO4 acid has been studied as the sulfur host for Li/S batteries. The carbon has a high specific surface area of 1,662 m2·g-1 （SBET） and micropore and mesopore volumes of 0.57 and 0.40 cm3·g-1, respectively. The S/C composite, with a sulfur content of 57% deposited by the disproportionate reaction of a SaO2- solution in an acid medium without an additional heating step above the S melting point, delivers an initial specific capacity of 1,148 mah·g-1 at a current of C/16. It also has a high capacity retention of 915 mAh·g-1 after 100 cycles and a Coulombic efficiency close to 100%. The good performance of the composite was also observed under higher current rates and long-term cycling tests. The capacities delivered by the cell after 200 cycles were 707 and 410 mAh·g-1 at C/2 and 1C （1C = 1,675 mA·g-1）, respectively, maintaining the high Coulombic efficiency. The overall electrochemical response of this carbon as the sulfur matrix is among the best reported so far among the other biomass-derived carbons, probably because of the micro- and mesopore system formed upon activation.