Biomass-derived carbonaceous positive electrodes for sustainable lithium-ion storage.

Biomass derived carbon materials have been widely used as electrode materials; however, in most cases, only electrical double layer capacitance (EDLC) is utilized and therefore, only low energy density can be achieved. Herein, we report on redox-active carbon spheres that can be simply synthesized from earth-abundant glucose via a hydrothermal process. These carbon spheres exhibit a specific capacity of ∼210 mA h gCS(-1), with high redox potentials in the voltage range of 2.

Self-Assembled, Redox-Active Graphene Electrodes for High-Performance Energy Storage Devices.

Graphene-based materials have been utilized as a promising approach in designing high-performance electrodes for energy storage devices. In line with this approach, functionalized graphene electrodes have been self-assembled from the dispersion of graphene oxide (GO) in water at a low temperature of 80 °C using tetrahydroxyl-1,4-benzoquinone (THQ) as both the reducing and redox-active functionalization agent. We correlated the electrochemical performance of the electrode with surface oxygen chemistry, confirming the role of THQ for the reduction and redox-active functionalization process.

Electrochemical polymerization of pyrene derivatives on functionalized carbon nanotubes for pseudocapacitive electrodes.

Electrochemical energy-storage devices have the potential to be clean and efficient, but their current cost and performance limit their use in numerous transportation and stationary applications. Many organic molecules are abundant, economical and electrochemically active; if selected correctly and rationally designed, these organic molecules offer a promising route to expand the applications of these energy-storage devices. In this study, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are introduced within a functionalized few-walled carbon nanotube matrix to develop high-energy, high-power positive electrodes for pseudocapacitor applications.