Sustainable Carbon Derived from Sulfur-Free Lignins for Functional Electrical and Electrochemical Devices

Abstract

Technical lignins, kraft, soda, lignoboost, and hydrolysis lignins were used for the production of carbon particles at different carbonization temperatures, 1000 °C and 1400 °C. The results showed that the lignin source and carbonization temperature significantly influenced the carbon quality and microstructure of the carbon particles. Soda lignin carbonized up to 1400 °C showed higher degree of graphitization and exhibited the highest electrical conductivity of 335 S·m−1, which makes it suitable for applications, such as electromagnetic interference shielding and conductive composite based structural energy storage devices. The obtained carbon particles also showed high surface area and hierarchical pore structure. Kraft lignin carbonized up to 1400 °C gives the highest BET surface area of 646 m2 g−1, which makes it a good candidate for electrode materials in energy storage applications. The energy storage application has been validated in a three-electrode set up device, and a specific capacitance of 97.2 F g−1 was obtained at a current density of 0.1 A g−1 while an energy density of 1.1 Wh kg−1 was observed at a power density of 50 W kg−1. These unique characteristics demonstrated the potential of kraft lignin-based carbon particles for electrochemical energy storage applications.