Volume 190, 2016

Molten-salt treatment of waste biomass for preparation of carbon with enhanced capacitive properties and electrocatalytic activity towards oxygen reduction

Abstract

Carbon powders are building blocks for electrochemical energy storage/conversion devices. Green, cost-affordable and facile preparation of carbon with applicable electrochemical properties is therefore essential for effective utilization of fluctuating renewable energy. Herein, the preparation of carbon nanoflakes via impregnation of waste biomass i.e. boiled coffee beans in molten Na2CO3–K2CO3 (with equal mass) at 800 °C and molten CaCl2 at 850 °C is reported. The microstructure and surface chemistry of the obtained carbons are specified. The correlations between synthetic conditions and microstructure/surface chemistry of the obtained carbons are rationalized. The derived carbon nanosheets are tested and compared as active materials for supercapacitors in a configuration of symmetric full cells in 1 M MeEt3NBF4 in acetonitrile and electrocatalysts towards the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in O2-saturated 0.1 M aqueous KOH. Despite the lower surface area, the carbon nanosheets derived in molten Na2CO3–K2CO3 exhibit enhanced capacitive properties and electrocatalytic ORR activity. The present study highlights the importance of thermal media on the microstructure, surface chemistry and electrochemistry of carbon from biomass.

Associated articles

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
09 Dec 2015
Accepted
06 Jan 2016
First published
06 Jan 2016

Faraday Discuss., 2016,190, 147-159

Molten-salt treatment of waste biomass for preparation of carbon with enhanced capacitive properties and electrocatalytic activity towards oxygen reduction

B. Lu, J. Zhou, Y. Song, H. Wang, W. Xiao and D. Wang, Faraday Discuss., 2016, 190, 147 DOI: 10.1039/C5FD00215J

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements