Soft carbon could be a useful electrode material for batteries. However, its performance for sodium ion storage is insufficient, so far. Sodium batteries could be useful for large-scale, low-cost energy storage systems.
Qi Li, Liqiang Mai, Wuhan University of Technology, China, and colleagues have synthesized microporous soft carbon nanosheets for high‐capacity sodium‐ion storage. The team first synthesized soft carbon nanorods by pyrolysis of 3,4,9,10‐perylene tetracarboxylic dianhydride. Then they used polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) in a microwave‐assisted exfoliation process. The PVP fills hollow spaces in the nanorods (pictured) and is removed by pyrolysis to create the desired nanosheets. The synthesis is easy to scale up.
The synthesized material has a large specific surface area and pore volume, along with defects at the edges, which lead to improved kinetics and capacities for sodium-ion storage. The nanosheets can also function as an anode for potassium‐ion storage. According to the researchers, the material is promising for high‐capacity, fast, and low‐cost energy storage systems.
- Defect-Rich Soft Carbon Porous Nanosheets for Fast and High-Capacity Sodium-Ion Storage,
Xuhui Yao, Yajie Ke, Wenhao Ren, Xuanpeng Wang, Fangyu Xiong, Wei Yang, Mingsheng Qin, Qi Li, Liqiang Mai,
Adv. Energy Mater. 2018.
https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.201803260
