Carbons derived from alcohol-treated bacterial cellulose with optimal porosity for LieO2 batteries
Porous carbons are important cathode materials for metal-air batteries, but the most usual methods to prepare these porous structures are complex and of high cost. We have prepared porous carbons from bacterial cellulose (BC) hydrogels by a simple water-alcohol solvent exchange before carbonization. Alcohol treatment facilitates looser and more open structures than untreated BC, resulting in porous carbon structures with high surface area, appropriate for electrochemical applications. Used as cathodes in lithium-oxygen batteries, the carbon derived from 1-butanol treated BC has excellent discharge capacity (5.6 mA h cm−2) and good cycle life. This work presents a sustainable, straightforward and fast way to prepare porous carbon materials from BC. ; This research was supported by the Spanish Government, through the "Severo Ochoa" Programme for Centers of Excellence in R&D (CEX2019-000917-S), the projects MAT2017-91404-EXP and RTI2018-096273-B-I00 and the PhD scholarships of S. R. (BES-2016-077533) with FEDER co-funding. W.W. gratefully acknowledges the support from the China Scholarship Council (CSC No.:201808340076). The authors participate in the SusPlast and FLOWBAT 2021 platforms promoted by the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and in the Aerogels COST ACTION (CA 18125). They also acknowledge the Generalitat de Catalunya (2017SGR765 and 2017SGR1687 grants). This work has been performed within the framework of the doctoral program in materials science of UAB (W. W. and S.R–S.) ; Peer reviewed