Boosting lithium storage capacity of sodium lignosulphonate-derived nitrogen-doped carbon by surface and structural...

Sodium lignosulphonate, is a biomacromolecule with a three-dimensional network structure and abundant functional groups and is considered an ideal material for Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Herein, nitrogen-doped carbon material was achieved using an efficient nano‑magnesium oxide template strategy with sodium lignosulphonate as carbon precursor and the assistance of urea. By using a hard template method, Nano‑magnesium oxide is employed as the template agent to adjust the pore size distribution of the carbon material. The introduction of doping heteroatoms through urea can influence the electronic structure and chemical activity of materials. The optimized sample demonstrated impressive electrochemical performance, achieved an initial discharge capacity of 2541 mA h g^-1 at a current density of 0.2 A g^-1. Furthermore, after enduring 100 charge-discharge cycles, the sample maintained a capacity of 1031 mA h g^-1. This retention of capacity over multiple cycles points to the stability of the material. Additionally, the Coulombic efficiency of the sample remained consistently above 97 %. It exhibits outstanding rate performance and cycling stability. This study presents an original and environment-protecting method to fabricate carbon materials using sodium lignosulphonate as precursor, which is aimed at further enhancing the performance of lithium-ion batteries and broadening the application of new energy technologies.