Optimizing Hard Carbon Anodes from Agricultural Biomass for Superior Lithium and Sodium Ion Battery Performance

Biomass-derived carbon materials are gaining attention for their environmental and economic advantages in waste resource recovery, particularly for their potential as high-energy materials for alkali metal ion storage. However, ensuring the reliability of secondary battery anodes remains a significant hurdle. Here, we report Areca Catechu sheath-inner part derived carbon (referred to as ASIC) as a high-performance anode for both rechargeable Li-ion (LIBs) and Na-ion batteries (SIBs). We explore the microstructure and electrochemical performance of ASIC materials synthesized at various pyrolysis temperatures ranging from 700 to 1400 °C. ASIC-9, pyrolyzed at 900 °C, exhibits multilayer stacked sheets with the highest specific surface area, and the least lateral size and stacking height. ASIC-14, pyrolyzed at 1400 °C, demonstrates the most ordered carbon structure with the least defect concentration and the highest stacking height and an increased lateral size. ASIC-9 achieves the highest capacities (676 mAh/g at 0.134 C) and rate performance (94 mAh/g at 13.4 C) for hosting Li⁺ ions, while ASIC-14 exhibits superior electrochemical performance for hosting Na⁺ ions, maintaining a high specific capacity after 300 cycles with over 99.5 % Coulombic efficiency. This comprehensive understanding of structure-property relationships paves the way for the practical utilization of biomass-derived carbon in various battery applications.