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 ∼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 ∼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.