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Engineering Alkali Lignin Structure Modification: Enhanced Hard Carbon Electrolyte Interface Toward Practical Sodium
Dezhe Fan1,2, Dongjie Yang1,2, Xueqing Qiu2,3
1School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Fuel Cell Technology, South China University of Technology, 381 Wushan Road, Tianhe District, Guangzhou, 510641, China.
Small (Weinheim an Der Bergstrasse, Germany)
|April 1, 2025
Summary
Alkali lignin enhances hard carbon anodes for sodium-ion batteries, improving initial efficiency and rate performance. This sustainable approach addresses key challenges for advanced energy storage applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrochemistry
- Sustainable Energy
Background:
- Hard carbon (HC) is a promising anode material for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs).
- Key limitations of HC in SIBs include low initial coulombic efficiency (ICE) and poor rate capability due to surface defects.
- Developing effective strategies to mitigate these limitations is crucial for advancing SIB technology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the use of alkali lignin (AL) as a binder for hard carbon anodes in SIBs.
- To explore how AL modifies HC surface defects and influences the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) formation.
- To evaluate the electrochemical performance of AL-modified HC anodes, focusing on ICE and rate performance.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing alkali lignin (AL) derived from pulp waste as a binder for hard carbon (HC).
- Analyzing the interaction between AL and HC via π-π interactions and functional group grafting (─OH, ─COOH).
- Fabricating full SIB cells and evaluating electrochemical performance, including ICE, cycling stability, and rate capability.
Main Results:
- AL effectively modifies HC surface defects, creating an inorganically enriched SEI layer (10 nm) rich in NaF.
- Achieved an exceptional ICE of 91% due to the optimized SEI layer.
- Demonstrated enhanced electrochemical activity of AL, leading to increasing slope capacity during cycling.
- Attained a high reversible capacity of 282 mAh g-1 at a current density of 5A g-1 in a full battery.
Conclusions:
- Alkali lignin serves as an effective binder and surface modifier for hard carbon anodes in sodium-ion batteries.
- The AL-induced NaF-rich SEI layer significantly boosts initial coulombic efficiency and electrochemical performance.
- This study presents a sustainable and efficient method for improving hard carbon anodes, paving the way for practical sodium-ion battery applications.
