Heteroatom Doping in Pollutant Diesel Soot-Derived Nanocarbon for Enhanced Zn-Ion Storage Performance

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Diesel engine exhaust soot is a source of carbon nanomaterials.
• Developing efficient electrode materials is crucial for advanced energy storage systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize nitrogen and sulfur co-doped onion-like nanocarbon (N-S-ONC) from diesel exhaust soot.
• To evaluate the performance of N-S-ONC as a cathode material in aqueous Zn-ion hybrid supercapacitors (ZIHSCs).

Main Methods:

• Isolation of onion-like nanocarbon (ONC) from diesel exhaust soot.
• Co-doping ONC with nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) to create N-S-ONC.
• Fabrication and electrochemical testing of a N-S-ONC based ZIHSC.

Main Results:

• The N-S-ONC cathode exhibited high specific capacitance and good rate capability in an aqueous ZIHSC.
• Charge storage mechanisms involved both capacitive and diffusion-controlled processes, with capacitance dominating.
• The ZIHSC achieved an energy density of 50 Wh/kg, a power density of 3.6 kW/kg, and 73% capacitance retention after 50,000 cycles.

Conclusions:

• N-S-ONC derived from biochar shows significant potential for electrochemical energy storage applications.
• The developed ZIHSC offers a promising pathway for sustainable and high-performance energy storage solutions.