Bio-derived Carbon Nanofibres from Lignin as High-Performance Li-Ion Anode Materials.

Development of cost-effective and increasingly efficient sustainable materials for energy-storage devices, such Li-ion batteries, is of crucial future importance. Herein, the preparation of carbon nanofibres from biopolymer blends of lignin (byproduct from the paper and pulp industry) and polylactic acid (PLA) or a thermoplastic elastomeric polyurethane (TPU) is described. SEM analysis shows the evolving microstructural morphology after each processing step (electrospinning, stabilisation and carbonisation).