Waste-loofah-derived carbon micro/nanoparticles for lithium ion battery anode

Abstract

It is very important to recycle the waste biomass resources for the environment protection and the circular economy. For this purpose, the waste old loofah was carbonized at 800°C for 1 h in the inert nitrogen gas (N2) atmosphere for lithium ion battery anode. The resultant waste-loofah-derived carbon was investigated by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, nitrogen adsorption and desorption, galvanostatic charge/discharge, cyclic voltammetry and alternating current impedance. The results suggested that the waste-loofah-derived carbon powders consisted of many concomitant microparticles and nanoparticles with a specific surface area of about 492 m2/g. Furthermore, the waste-loofah-derived carbon anode also delivered high electrochemical lithium (Li) storage activity. For example, the initial specific discharge capacity was about 697 mAh/g, and the reversible discharge capacity was about 187 mAh/g at 1000 mA/g for 500 cycles and still about 98 mAh/g even at 3000 mA/g for 500 cycles, exhibiting good cycling stability. High surface area and structural defects may jointly contribute to high electrochemical performances.