Journal article 153 views 19 downloads
The Role of Hydrothermal Carbonization in Sustainable Sodium‐Ion Battery Anodes
Advanced Energy Materials, Volume: 12, Issue: 18
Swansea University Author: Jing Wang
-
PDF | Version of Record
© 2022 The Authors. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.
Download (8.87MB)
DOI (Published version): 10.1002/aenm.202200208
Abstract
Sodium-ion batteries as a prospective alternative to lithium-ion batteries are facing the challenge of developing high-performance, low-cost and sustainable anode materials. Hard carbons are appropriate to store sodium ions, but major energy and environmental concerns during their fabrication proces...
Published in: | Advanced Energy Materials |
---|---|
ISSN: | 1614-6832 1614-6840 |
Published: |
Wiley
2022
|
Online Access: |
Check full text
|
URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa66852 |
Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
Abstract: |
Sodium-ion batteries as a prospective alternative to lithium-ion batteries are facing the challenge of developing high-performance, low-cost and sustainable anode materials. Hard carbons are appropriate to store sodium ions, but major energy and environmental concerns during their fabrication process (i.e., high-temperature carbonization) have not been properly assessed. Furthermore, the rational design of high-performing hard carbon anodes is usually limited by the conventional direct carbonization of organic precursors. Here, the hydrothermal carbonization process is employed as a versatile pre-treatment method of renewable precursors, followed by high-temperature carbonization, for producing advanced hard carbon anodes. The critical role of hydrothermal pre-treatment in regulating the structure for an optimized performance of hard carbon anodes is elucidated, while revealing the sodium-ion storage mechanism using electrochemical kinetic calculations, advanced characterization and multi-scale modeling. Furthermore, the environmental impacts of hydrothermal pre-treatment and subsequent carbonization are evaluated using life cycle assessment compared to direct carbonization. By comparing hard carbon anodes with and without the hydrothermal pre-treatment, it is verified that the additional hydrothermal process is responsible for enhanced electrochemical performance, increased carbon yields and reduced carbon emissions. The work provides a systematic understanding of functions and energy consumptions of hydrothermal systems to achieve next-generation sustainable sodium-ion batteries. |
---|---|
Keywords: |
anodes; hard carbon; hydrothermal carbonization; sodium-ion storage; sustainable batteries |
College: |
Faculty of Science and Engineering |
Funders: |
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. Grant Numbers: EP/R021554/2, EP/S018204/2
Science and Technology Facilities Council |
Issue: |
18 |