A facile approach for graphdiyne preparation under atmosphere for an advanced battery anode

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Graphdiynes (GDYs) are carbon allotropes with unique electronic properties.
• Efficient and scalable synthesis of GDYs remains a challenge.
• Metal catalysts are often required for GDY synthesis, posing environmental and cost concerns.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a metal-catalyst-free method for GDY synthesis.
• To investigate the properties of GDYs prepared by the new method.
• To evaluate the potential of these GDYs as anode materials for energy storage.

Main Methods:

• An explosion approach was employed for GDY preparation at 120 °C in air.
• Characterization of GDY properties including thermal stability, conductivity, and surface area.
• Electrochemical testing of GDYs as anodes in lithium/sodium-ion batteries.

Main Results:

• Efficient synthesis of GDYs achieved at 120 °C without metal catalysts.
• The prepared GDYs demonstrated excellent thermal stability.
• High conductivity (20 S m⁻¹) and large surface area (up to 1150 m² g⁻¹) were recorded.
• Promising performance as anodes for lithium/sodium-ion storage was observed.

Conclusions:

• The explosion approach offers an efficient and catalyst-free route to high-quality GDYs.
• GDYs synthesized via this method exhibit superior properties suitable for energy storage applications.
• This work paves the way for practical applications of GDYs in next-generation batteries.