Biomass-derived two-dimensional carbon materials: Synthetic strategies and electrochemical energy storage applications

Because climate change, environmental pollution and other issues have gradually become the greatest threat to human existence, developing advanced technologies to solve these problems is of vital importance. Electrochemical energy storage devices play an important role in conveniently and efficiently using new energy instead of fossil energy. It is worth noting that biomass is a renewable source of carbon with many advantages, including extensive sources, low cost, and environmental friendliness. Two-dimensional (2D) carbon materials have become significant candidates for electrode materials due to their unique lamellar structure and excellent electrical conductivity. Therefore, the development of 2D carbon materials derived from biomass is a valuable research topic. In particular, biomass-derived 2D carbon materials, a group of promising electrode materials for high-performance electrochemical energy storage devices, have attracted extensive attention because of their high specific surface area, high porosity, and abundant active sites. This review first introduces key synthetic strategies used for developing 2D carbon materials from biomass. Then, applications of biomass-derived 2D carbon materials in a series of electrochemical energy storage and conversion devices, including lithium-ion batteries, lithium-sulfur batteries, sodium/potassium-ion batteries, metal-air batteries, and supercapacitors, are summarized. Meanwhile, various impact factors for their electrochemical performances, such as the biomass source, preparation process and potential development strategies, are noted. Finally, the opportunities and future challenges are discussed.