Bio-derived mesoporous disordered carbon: An excellent anode in sodium-ion battery and full-cell lab prototype

Bio-derived porous carbon has been synthesized from the seeds of Litchi chinensis (lychee) by a simple, economic and environment-friendly approach. The material is characterized by different physical characterization techniques, the XRD and Raman spectra revealed the mixed amorphous and graphitic nature of the carbon whereas FE-SEM, HRTEM, and BET analysis proved its highly porous nature. While testing its application in battery against sodium metal it provided a superficial storage and transport path for sodium-ions. The sodium-ion adsorption mechanism has been well studied by ex-situ experimental techniques. The biocarbon anode further showed an excellent rate capability and a superior electrochemical reversible specific capacity of similar to 146 mAh g(-1) at 0.2 A g(-1) current density after 100 cycles. The biocarbon anode is used to construct a full-cell lab prototype for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) with respect to sodium vanadium phosphate (NVP) as cathode, and observed the specific capacity of similar to 266 mAh g(-1) at 0.1 A g(-1) current density for 50 cycles. These studies reveal the application of naturally abundant biomass-derived biocarbon as a potential anode material for sodium-ion battery application. The construction and demonstration of SIB coin cell with NVP cathode and biocarbon anode open up the possibility of its applications in future. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.