Energy storage devices that can deliver high powers have many applications, including hybrid vehicles and renewable energy. Much research has focused on increasing the power output of lithium batteries by reducing lithium-ion diffusion distances, but outputs remain far below those of electrochemical capacitors and below the levels required for many applications. Here, we report an alternative approach based on the redox reactions of functional groups on the surfaces of carbon nanotubes. Layer-by-layer techniques are used to assemble an electrode that consists of additive-free, densely packed and functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes. The electrode, which is several micrometres thick, can store lithium up to a reversible gravimetric capacity of approximately 200 mA h g(-1)(electrode) while also delivering 100 kW kg(electrode)(-1) of power and providing lifetimes in excess of thousands of cycles, both of which are comparable to electrochemical capacitor electrodes. A device using the nanotube electrode as the positive electrode and lithium titanium oxide as a negative electrode had a gravimetric energy approximately 5 times higher than conventional electrochemical capacitors and power delivery approximately 10 times higher than conventional lithium-ion batteries.

High-Power Lithium Batteries from Functionalized Carbon Nanotube Electrodes

The exploration of renewable, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly electrode materials with high adsorption, fast ion/electron transport, and tunable surface chemistry is urgently needed for the development of next-generation biocompatible energy-storage devices. In recent years, biomass-derived carbon electrode materials for energy storage have attracted significant attention because of their widespread availability, renewable nature, and low cost. More importantly, their inherent uniform and precise biological structures can be utilized as templates for fabricating electrode materials with controlled and well-defined geometries. Meanwhile, the basic elements of biomass are carbon, sulfur, nitrogen, and phosphorus. The special naturally ordered hierarchical structures as well as abundant surface properties of biomass-derived carbon materials are compatible with electrochemical reaction processes such as ion transfer and diffusion. To date, a series of novel porous carbon materials with different dimensions have been prepared by various methods using biomass as the raw material, which is an important field in the fabrication of supercapacitor electrode materials. Herein, we summarized recently reported biomass-derived carbon materials with one-dimensional, two-dimensional, and three-dimensional structures and their applications as carbon-based electrode materials for supercapacitors. Finally, the current challenges and future perspectives of the carbon-based electrode materials with respect to the supercapacitor's performance were closely highlighted.

Biomass-derived porous carbon materials with different dimensions for supercapacitor electrodes: a review

Carbon-oxide and carbon-sulfide nanocomposites have attracted tremendous interest as the anode materials for Li and Na ion batteries. Such composites are fascinating as they often show synergistic effect compared to their singular components. Carbon nanomaterials are often used as the matrix due to their high conductivity, tensile strength, and chemical stability under the battery condition. Metal oxides and sulfides are often used as active material fillers because of their large capacity. Numerous works have shown that by taking one step further into fabricating nanocomposites with rational structure design, much better performance can be achieved. The present review aims to present and discuss the development of carbon-based nanocomposite anodes in both Li ion batteries and Na ion batteries. The authors introduce the individual components in the composites, i.e., carbon matrices (e.g., carbon nanotube, graphene) and metal oxides/sulfides; followed by evaluating how advanced nanostructures benefit from the synergistic effect when put together. Particular attention is placed on strategies employed in fabricating such composites, with examples such as yolk–shell structure, layered-by-layered structure, and composite comprising one or more carbon matrices. Lastly, the authors conclude by highlighting challenges that still persist and their perspective on how to further develop the technologies.

A Review on Design Strategies for Carbon Based Metal Oxides and Sulfides Nanocomposites for High Performance Li and Na Ion Battery Anodes

3D Amorphous Carbon with Controlled Porous and Disordered Structures as a High-Rate Anode Material for Sodium-Ion Batteries

Carbon materials, owing to their excellent electrical conductivity, tailorability, inexpensiveness and versatility, have been extensively studied as electrode materials for supercapacitors. The capacitance of carbon-based supercapacitor electrodes has remained at a mediocre level between 100 and 200 F g−1 for decades. Until recently, a new family of carbon materials termed hierarchical porous carbons has pushed the capacitance to new benchmark values beyond 300 F g−1, and has revitalized the exploration of carbon materials for supercapacitors. Hierarchical porous carbons contain different scales of pores (from micropores to macropores) inter-connected together and assembled in hierarchical patterns. Experimental studies coupled with theoretical investigations have elucidated that the presence of micropores is responsible for offering a large surface area to enhance charge storage capability, whilst mesopores, macropores and the hierarchical structure improve electrolyte infiltration and facilitate ion diffusion. This review will start by introducing different pore types and the definition of hierarchical porous structures, followed by discussion and exemplification of major synthesis strategies. In addition, recent molecular-level understanding of the relationship between pore size, functionalities inside pores, pore spatial distribution and capacitive performance is presented. Finally, challenges and future opportunities associated with hierarchical porous carbons for supercapacitors are discussed.

Revitalizing carbon supercapacitor electrodes with hierarchical porous structures

Nitrogen and oxygen codoped hierarchical porous carbons have been synthesized by using a direct carbonization/activation procedure of biomass algae – Enteromorpha. The proposed procedure allowed us to produce carbons with high surface area (up to 2073 m2 g−1), sponge-like 3D interconnected structure, combined macro/meso/micropores, and rich N (0.64–0.85 at%) and O (11.36–12.24 at%) doping. The application of the produced carbons in supercapacitors based on an ionic liquid electrolyte showed a high specific capacitance of 201 F g−1 (10.7 μF cm−2) at 1 A g−1 and 20 °C, a capacitance retention ratio of 61% at 100 A g−1 and a capacitance loss of 9% after 10 000 cycles. The devices were able to deliver an energy density of 24 or 35 W h kg−1 (on an active mass normalized basis) at an extremely high power density of 60 kW kg−1 at 20 or 60 °C. The application of the produced carbons in a lithium-ion battery anode based on the LiPF6 electrolyte exhibited a high specific capacity of 1347–1709 mA h g−1, a good initial coulombic efficiency of 61–64%, and a good cyclability up to 500 cycles. We believe that this simple precursor-synthesis route offers excellent potential for facile large-scale material production for supercapacitors and lithium ion batteries.

N, O-codoped hierarchical porous carbons derived from algae for high-capacity supercapacitors and battery anodes

Biomass derived hierarchical porous carbons as high-performance anodes for sodium-ion batteries

Achieving a satisfactory energy–power combination in a supercapacitor that is based on all-carbon electrodes and operates in benign aqueous media instead of conventional organic electrolytes is a major challenge. For this purpose, we fabricated carbon nanoflakes (20–100 nm in thickness, 5-μm in width) containing an unparalleled combination of a large surface area (3,000 m2·g−1 range) and mesoporosity (up to 72%). These huge-surface area functionalized carbons (HSAFCs) also had a substantial oxygen and nitrogen content (~10 wt.% combined), with a significant fraction of redox-active carboxyl/phenol groups in an optimized specimen. Their unique structure and chemistry resulted from a tailored single-step carbonization-activation approach employing (2-benzimidazolyl) acetonitrile combined with potassium hydroxide (KOH). The HSAFCs exhibited specific capacitances of 474 F·g−1 at 0.5 A·g−1 and 285 F·g−1 at 100 A·g−1 (charging time < 3 s) in an aqueous 2 M KOH solution. These values are among the highest reported, especially at high currents. When tested with a stable 1.8-V window in a 1 M Na2SO4 electrolyte, a symmetric supercapacitor device using the fabricated nanoflakes as electrodes yielded a normalized active mass of 24.4 Wh·kg−1 at 223 W·kg−1 and 7.3 Wh·kg−1 at 9,360 W·kg−1. The latter value corresponds to a charge time of <3 s. The cyclability of the devices was excellent, with 93% capacitance retention after 10,000 cycles. All the electrochemical results were achieved by employing electrodes with near-commercial mass loadings of 8 mg·cm−2.

Extremely high-rate aqueous supercapacitor fabricated using doped carbon nanoflakes with large surface area and mesopores at near-commercial mass loading

To improve the electrochemical performance of cobalt oxide owing to its inherent poor electrical conductivity and large volume expansion/contraction, Co3O4-carbon nanosheet hybrid nanoarchitectures were synthesized by a facile and scalable chemical process. However, it is still a challenge to control the size of Co3O4 particles down to ∼5 nm. Herein, we created nanosized cobalt oxide anchored 3D arrays of carbon nanosheets by the control of calcination condition. The uniformly dispersed Co3O4 nanocrystals on carbon nanosheets held a diameter down to ∼5 nm. When tested as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries, high lithium storage over 1200 mAh g–1 is achieved, whereas high rate capability with capacity of about 390 mAh g–1 at 10 A g–1 is maintained through nanoscale diffusion distances and interconnected porous structure. After 500 cycles, the cobalt oxide-carbon nansheets hybrid display a reversible capacity of about 970 mAh g–1 at 1 A g–1. The synergistic effect between nanosized cobalt oxide and sh...

Nan Mao

Papers

N, O-codoped hierarchical porous carbons derived from algae for high-capacity supercapacitors and battery anodes

Biomass derived hierarchical porous carbons as high-performance anodes for sodium-ion batteries

Extremely high-rate aqueous supercapacitor fabricated using doped carbon nanoflakes with large surface area and mesopores at near-commercial mass loading

Cobalt Oxide-Carbon Nanosheet Nanoarchitecture as an Anode for High-Performance Lithium-Ion Battery

High energy supercapacitors based on interconnected porous carbon nanosheets with ionic liquid electrolyte