Green energy application technology of litchi pericarp-derived carbon material with high performance

作者：Zhu, Ziyi; Zeng, Xiaoyuan; Wu, Hao; Wang, Yunxiao; Cheng, Hongyu; Dong, Peng; Li, Xue^*; Zhang, Yingjie; Liu, Huakun

来源：JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION, 2021, 286: 124960.

DOI：10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.124960

• Biomass
• Carbon material
• Sodium ion batteries
• Direct carbon solid oxide fuel cells

To develop a carbon material derived from a green biomass source, this study investigated the production of a derivatized carbon material made from an industrial byproduct, litchi pericarp, through a hydrothermal reaction combined with a high-temperature heat treatment process, and its application in a new energy field was evaluated. Gratifyingly, in the field of sodium ion batteries, the material showed excellent electrochemical performance when evaluated as an anode: the material exhibited a high initial reversible capacity (336.4 mAh/g), an excellent retention rate (98.6%) after 120 cycles and good rate performance (183.2 mAh/g at 500 mA/g). The energy storage mechanism in the material was also determined. Moreover, for a fuel in direct carbon solid oxide fuel cells, the maximum power density was 239 mW/cm(2) at 850 degrees C. When operating at a constant current density of 250 mA/cm(2), the cell also displayed a stable discharging voltage and platform, and the fuel utilization rate was 66%. As a promising green carbon material with high electrochemical performance, the developed litchi pericarp-derived carbon material shows great potential in the new energy industry.