RESUMO
An ionothermal sol-gel strategy to synthesize hierarchically porous carbon aerogels doped with different heteroatoms is presented by using biomass precursors in a scalable process. Morphologically similar but chemically different materials are used to study the influence of heteroatoms in Li-S batteries. The materials show capacities as high as 1290â mAh g(-1) in the first cycle using 50â wt % S loading. Heteroatom doping reduces the capacity fading and the polarization throughout cycling. Zeta potential measurements reveal positive surface charges for heteroatom-doped carbons and indicate attractive interactions with polysulfides causing reduced fading. A polysulfide-selective sorption study reveals strongly different adsorption behavior depending on the carbon's chemical composition. Interestingly, the polysulfide fraction is also crucial. The results indicate that improved adsorption of long-chain polysulfides to doped carbons is related to improved capacity retention.
Assuntos
Biomassa , Carbono/química , Fontes de Energia Elétrica , Lítio/química , Sais/química , Enxofre/química , Técnicas de Química Sintética , Géis , PorosidadeRESUMO
Invited for this month's cover are the groups of Tim-Patrick Fellinger (MPI Potsdam) and Volker Presser (INM Saarbrücken and Saarland University). The image shows the dynamic process of ion electrosorption: anions are attracted and cations repelled from electrically charged electrodes based on carbons with heteroatoms. This process of capacitive deionization is particularly attractive for facile low-energy water treatment applications.
Assuntos
Biomassa , Carbono/química , Capacitância Elétrica , Sais/químicaRESUMO
Microporous carbons are an interesting material for electrochemical applications. In this study, we evaluate several such carbons without/with N or S doping with regard to capacitive deionization. For this purpose, we extent the salt-templating synthesis towards biomass precursors and S-doped microporous carbons. The sample with the largest specific surface area (2830â m(2) g(-1) ) showed 1.0â wt % N and exhibited a high salt-sorption capacity of 15.0â mg g(-1) at 1.2â V in 5â mM aqueous NaCl. While being a promising material from an equilibrium performance point of view, our study also gives first insights to practical limitations of heteroatom-doped carbon materials. We show that high heteroatom content may be associated with a low charge efficiency. The latter is a key parameter for capacitive deionization and is defined as the ratio between the amounts of removed salt molecules and electrical charge.
Assuntos
Biomassa , Carbono/química , Capacitância Elétrica , Cloreto de Sódio/química , Polimerização , Porosidade , SalinidadeRESUMO
Efficient and low-cost electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction are highly desired for future renewable energy systems. Described herein is the reduction of water to hydrogen using a metal-free carbon nitride electrocatalyst which operates in neutral and alkaline environments. An efficient, easy, and general method for growing ordered carbon nitride on different electrodes was developed. The metal-free catalyst demonstrates low overpotential values, which are comparable to those of non-noble metals, with reasonable current densities. The facile deposition method enables the fabrication of many electronic and photoelectronic devices based on carbon nitride for renewable energy applications.