Owing to the sustainability, environmental friendliness, and structural diversity of biomass‐derived materials, extensive efforts have been devoted to use them as energy storage materials in high‐energy rechargeable batteries. A timely and comprehensive review from the structures to mechanisms will significantly widen this research field. Here, it starts with the operation mechanism of batteries, and it aims to summarize the latest advances for biomass‐derived carbon to achieve high‐energy battery materials, including activation carbon methods and the structural classification of biomass‐derived carbon materials from zero dimension, one dimension, two dimension, and three dimension. Each strategy starts with carefully selected examples and then moves to illustrate the underlying transport mechanism of electrons in the structure. In the end, challenges, strategies, and outlooks are pointed out for the future development of biomass‐derived carbon materials. Overall, this review will help researchers choose appropriate strategies to design biomass‐derived carbon materials, thereby promoting the application of biomass materials in battery design.

https://eprints.qut.edu.au/229602/8/Adv_Funct_Materials_2022_Sun_Biomass_u2010Derived_Carbon_for_High_u2010Performance_Batteries_From_Structure_to_Properties_1_.pdf

Biomass‐Derived Carbon for High‐Performance Batteries: From Structure to Properties

Porous and graphitic structure optimization of biomass-based carbon materials from 0D to 3D for supercapacitors: A Review

Wood-based electrodes enabling stable, anti-freezing, and flexible aqueous zinc-ion batteries

It is a natural choice to realize the vision of wood‐inspired functional materials for energy engineering. Apart from being naturally abundant, renewable, and biodegradable, wood‐based devices possess hierarchically porous structures, mechanical integrity and flexibility, and tunable functionalities, holding the potential to significantly push the boundaries of efficient energy storage and conversion. Meanwhile, the hunting of batteries with superior energy/power output to redeem the ever‐growing energy demand has ignited a thick electrode conception, which is deemed as a burgeoning technic to maneuver the maximum active material loading at the device‐scale. As an integrated carbonaceous scaffold with hierarchical architecture and aligned channels, wood thick electrode ameliorates the ion/electron conductivities to strengthen the charge transfer kinetics. In this review, the rational design and unique prospects in the construction of wood thick electrodes that concerns over structural optimization and low‐tortuosity for integrated cell configuration are summarized. To trap the structure‐feature‐performance interplays, advanced wood thick electrode that opens an avenue in emerging energy chemistries such as supercapacitors, lithium‐ion/metal and post‐rechargeable batteries are also spotlighted with a standpoint on task‐tailored modification. Ultimately, the blueprint over ongoing challenges and upcoming opportunities for wood‐structured thick electrode is drawn to broaden their brand‐new energy talents.

Rational Design of Wood‐Structured Thick Electrode for Electrochemical Energy Storage

Electrochemical reduction of oxygen plays a critical role in emerging electrochemical energy technologies. Multiple electron transfer processes, involving adsorption and activation of O2 and generation of protons from water molecules, cause the sluggish kinetics of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Herein, a double-active-site catalyst of Fe3 C nanoparticles coupled to paulownia wood-derived N-doped carbon (Fe3 C@NPW) is fabricated via an active-site-uniting strategy. One site on Fe3 C nanoparticles contributes to activating water molecules, while another site on N-doped carbon is responsible for activating oxygen molecules. Benefiting from the synergistic effect of double active sites, Fe3 C@NPW delivers a remarkable catalytic activity for ORR with a half-wave potential of 0.87 V (vs. RHE) in alkaline electrolyte, outperforming commercial Pt/C catalyst. Moreover, zinc-air batteries (ZABs) assembled with Fe3 C@NPW as a catalyst on cathode achieve a large specific capacity of 804.4 mA h gZn -1 and a long-term stability of 780 cycles. The model solid-state ZABs also display satisfactory performances with an open-circuit voltage of 1.39 V and a high peak power density of 78 mW cm-2 . These outstanding performances reach the level of first-rank among the non-noble metal electrode materials. This work offers a promising approach to creating double-active-site catalysts by the active-site-uniting strategy for energy conversion fields.

Coupling Fe3 C Nanoparticles and N-Doping on Wood-Derived Carbon to Construct Reversible Cathode for Zn-Air Batteries.

Zinc-air batteries (ZABs) are promising as energy storage devices owing to their high energy density and the safety of electrolytes. Construction of abundant triple-phase boundary (TPB) effectively facilitates cathode reactions occurring at TPB. Herein, a wood-derived integral air electrode containing Co/CoO nanoparticles and nitrogen-doped carbonized wood (Co/CoO@NWC) is constructed with a dual catalytic function. The potential gap between oxygen reduction and evolution is shortened to 0.77 V. Liquid ZABs using Co/CoO@NWC as cathode exhibit high discharge specific capacity (800 mAh gZn -1 ), low charge-discharge gap (0.84 V), and long-term cycling stability (270 h). Co/CoO@NWC also shows distinguished catalytic activity and stability in all-solid-state ZABs. The inherent layered porous and pipe structures of wood are well maintained in catalytically active carbon. The different hydrophilicity of carbonized wood and Co/CoO endow abundant TPBs for battery reaction. The Co/CoO located on TPB provides main active sites for oxygen reactions. The inherent pipe structures of wood carbon and the interaction between Co/CoO and NWC effectively prevent nanoparticles from aggregation. The design and preparation of this monolithic electrocatalyst contribute to the broad-scale application of ZABs and promote the development of next-generation biomass-based storage devices.

Mengmeng Cao

Papers

Wood-Derived Integral Air Electrode for Enhanced Interfacial Electrocatalysis in Rechargeable Zinc–Air Battery

Enhancing the physicochemical performance of myofibrillar gels using Pickering emulsion fillers: Rheology, microstructure and stability

Coupling Fe3 C Nanoparticles and N-Doping on Wood-Derived Carbon to Construct Reversible Cathode for Zn-Air Batteries.

Electric field-driven fabrication of anisotropic hydrogels from plant proteins: Microstructure, gel performance and formation mechanism

Ultra-thin DyFeO3/g-C3N4 p-n heterojunctions for highly efficient photo-Fenton removal of oxytetracycline and antibacterial activity