Waste asphalt derived hierarchically porous carbon for high-performance electrocatalytic hydrogen gas capacitors

Abstract

Along with the surging demand for energy storage devices, the cost and availability of the materials remain dominant factors in slowing down their industrial application. The repurposing of waste asphalt into high-performance electrode materials is of significant interest, as it holds the potential to circumvent energy and environmental issues. Here, we report the controllable synthesis of asphalt-derived mesoporous carbon as an active material for electrocatalytic hydrogen gas capacitor (EHGC). The hierarchically porous carbon (HPC) with a high surface area of 1943.4 m²·g⁻¹ can operate in pH universal aqueous electrolytes in EHGC. It displays a specific energy and power density of 57 Wh·kg⁻¹ and 554 W·kg⁻¹ in neutral electrolyte as well as 52 Wh·kg⁻¹ and 657 W·kg⁻¹ in acidic electrolyte. Additionally, the charge storage mechanism of HPC–EHGC is studied with the help of Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Furthermore, the assembled HPC–EHGC device displays a discharge capacitance of 170 F·g⁻¹ with an excellent capacitance retention rate of 100% up to 20000 cycles at 10 A·g⁻¹ in acidic electrolyte. This work introduces a novel approach to converting waste asphalt into high-performance carbon for EHGC, achieving superior performance over commercial materials. By simultaneously addressing environmental waste issues and advancing energy storage technology, this study makes a significant contribution to sustainable materials science and next-generation battery development.

Keywords

asphalt / hierarchically porous carbon / hydrogen gas / pH universal electrolyte / electrocatalytic hydrogen gas capacitor / Chemical Sciences / Macromolecular and Materials Chemistry / Physical Chemistry (incl. Structural) / Engineering / Materials Engineering

References

[1] D. Ni, W. Sun, Z.H. Wang, et al., Heteroatom-doped mesoporous hollow carbon spheres for fast sodium storage with an ultralong cycle life, Adv. Energy Mater., 9(2019), No. 19, art. No. 1900036.

[2] LiL, LiuLJ, HuZ, et al. . Understanding high-rate K⁺-solvent Co-intercalation in natural graphite for potassium-ion batteries. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2020, 593112917.

[3] X.L. Yu, W.K. Li, V. Gupta, et al., Current challenges in efficient lithium-ion batteries’ recycling: A perspective, Glob. Chall., 6(2022), No. 12, art. No. 2200099.

[4] WangJW, YangY, ZhangYX, et al. . Strategies towards the challenges of zinc metal anode in rechargeable aqueous zinc ion batteries. Energy Storage Mater., 2021, 35: 19.

[5] HaoJN, LiXL, ZengXH, LiD, MaoJF, GuoZP. Deeply understanding the Zn anode behaviour and corresponding improvement strategies in different aqueous Zn-based batteries. Energy Environ. Sci., 2020, 13113917.

[6] D. Kundu, B.D. Adams, V. Duffort, S.H. Vajargah, and L.F. Nazar, A high-capacity and long-life aqueous rechargeable zinc battery using a metal oxide intercalation cathode, Nat. Energy, 1(2016), No. 10, art. No. 16119.

[7] Y. Jin, K.S. Han, Y.Y. Shao, et al., Stabilizing zinc anode reactions by polyethylene oxide polymer in mild aqueous electrolytes, Adv. Funct. Mater., 30(2020), No. 43, art. No. 2003932.

[8] D.L. Han, S.C. Wu, S.W. Zhang, et al., A corrosion-resistant and dendrite-free zinc metal anode in aqueous systems, Small, 16(2020), No. 29, art. No. 2001736.

[9] J.W. Gao, X.S. Xie, S.Q. Liang, B.A. Lu, and J. Zhou, Inorganic colloidal electrolyte for highly robust zinc-ion batteries, Nano Micro Lett., 13(2021), No. 1, art. No. 69.

[10] ZhengXH, AhmadT, ChenW. Challenges and strategies on Zn electrodeposition for stable Zn-ion batteries. Energy Storage Mater., 2021, 39: 365.

[11] Z.X. Zhu, Z.C. Liu, Y.C. Yin, et al., Production of a hybrid capacitive storage device via hydrogen gas and carbon electrodes coupling, Nat. Commun., 13(2022), No. 1, art. No. 2805.

[12] X.F. Yang, F. Zhao, Y.W. Yeh, et al., Nitrogen-plasma treated hafnium oxyhydroxide as an efficient acid-stable electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution and oxidation reactions, Nat. Commun., 10(2019), No. 1, art. No. 1543.

[13] F.Z. Song, W. Li, J.Q. Yang, G.Q. Han, P.L. Liao, and Y.J. Sun, Interfacing nickel nitride and nickel boosts both electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution and oxidation reactions, Nat. Commun., 9(2018), No. 1, art. No. 4531.

[14] ChenW, JinY, ZhaoJ, LiuN, CuiY. Nickel-hydrogen batteries for large-scale energy storage. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A., 2018, 1154611694.

[15] J. Yin, W.L. Zhang, N.A. Alhebshi, N. Salah, and H.N. Alshareef, Electrochemical zinc ion capacitors: Fundamentals, materials, and systems, Adv. Energy Mater., 11(2021), No. 21, art. No. 2100201.

[16] ChenW, LiGD, PeiA, et al. . A manganese-hydrogen battery with potential for grid-scale energy storage. Nat. Energy, 2018, 35428.

[17] ZhuZX, WangMM, MengYH, LinZH, CuiY, ChenW. A high-rate lithium manganese oxide-hydrogen battery. Nano Lett., 2020, 2053278.

[18] ZhuZX, ZhangX, WangMM, ChenW. Lithium intercalation compounds-hydrogen gas batteries. Chem. J. Chinese Universities, 2021, 4251610

[19] Z. Zhu, Y. Meng, M. Wang, Y. Yin, and W. Chen, A high-performance aqueous iron-hydrogen gas battery, Mater. Today Energy, 19(2021), art. No. 100603.

[20] ZhuZX, MengYH, YinYC, et al. . High performance aqueous Prussian blue analogue-hydrogen gas hybrid batteries. Energy Storage Mater., 2021, 42: 464.

[21] Z.X. Zhu, Y.H. Meng, Y. Cui, and W. Chen, An ultrastable aqueous iodine-hydrogen gas battery, Adv. Funct. Mater., 31(2021), No. 37, art. No. 2101024.

[22] J.T. Xu, Y.H. Dou, Z.X. Wei, et al., Recent progress in graphite intercalation compounds for rechargeable metal (Li, Na, K, Al)-ion batteries, Adv. Sci., 4(2017), No. 10, art. No. 1700146.

[23] K.L. Liang, M.F. Li, Y.K. Hao, et al., Reduced graphene oxide with 3D interconnected hollow channel architecture as high-performance anode for Li/Na/K-ion storage, Chem. Eng. J., 394(2020), art. No. 124956.

[24] HuangY, WangYQ, BaiPX, XuYH. Storage mechanism of alkali metal ions in the hard carbon anode: An electrochemical viewpoint. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 2021, 133238441.

[25] YiCX, ZhouLJ, WuXQ, SunW, YiLS, YangY. Technology for recycling and regenerating graphite from spent lithium-ion batteries. Chin. J. Chem. Eng., 2021, 39: 37.

[26] VadivazhaganM, ParameswaranP, ManiU, NallathambyK. Waste-driven bio-carbon electrode material for Na-ion storage applications. ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng., 2018, 61113915.

[27] SchleeP, HosseinaeiO, BakerD, et al. . From waste to wealth: From kraft lignin to free-standing supercapacitors. Carbon, 2019, 145: 470.

[28] M. Mondal, D.K. Goswami, and T.K. Bhattacharyya, Lignocellulose based bio-waste materials derived activated porous carbon as superior electrode materials for high-performance super-capacitor, J. Energy Storage, 34(2021), art. No. 102229.

[29] G.S. Jiang, R.A. Senthil, Y.Z. Sun, T.R. Kumar, and J.Q. Pan, Recent progress on porous carbon and its derivatives from plants as advanced electrode materials for supercapacitors, J. Power Sources, 520(2022), art. No. 230886.

[30] P. Cui, G. Schito, and Q.B. Cui, VOC emissions from asphalt pavement and health risks to construction workers, J. Clean. Prod., 244(2020), art. No. 118757.

[31] M.M. Xie, X.B. Zhu, D.Q. Li, et al., Spent asphalt-derived mesoporous carbon for high-performance Li/Na/K-ion storage, J. Power Sources, 514(2021), art. No. 230593.

[32] FonsecaWS, MengXH, DengD. Trash to treasure: Transforming waste polystyrene cups into negative electrode materials for sodium ion batteries. ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng., 2015, 392153.

[33] X.J. Xu, F.K. Li, D.C. Zhang, et al., Self-sacrifice template construction of uniform yolk-shell ZnS@C for superior alkali-ion storage, Adv. Sci., 9(2022), No. 14, art. No. 2200247.

[34] LiuW, LiuJ, ChenKF, et al. . Enhancing the electrochemical performance of the LiMn₂O₄ hollow microsphere cathode with a LiNi_0.5Mn_1.5O₄ coated layer. Chem. Eur. J., 2014, 203824.

[35] ZhangLL, GuY, ZhaoXS. Advanced porous carbon electrodes for electrochemical capacitors. J. Mater. Chem. A, 2013, 1339395.

[36] H.Y. Wang, W.Q. Ye, Y. Yang, Y.J. Zhong, and Y. Hu, Zn-ion hybrid supercapacitors: Achievements, challenges and future perspectives, Nano Energy, 85(2021), art. No. 105942.

[37] LiJ, ZhangJH, YuL, et al. . Dual-doped carbon hollow nanospheres achieve boosted pseudocapacitive energy storage for aqueous zinc ion hybrid capacitors. Energy Storage Mater., 2021, 42: 705.

[38] X.Y. Zhang, B.K. Sun, X. Fan, et al., Hierarchical porous carbon derived from coal and biomass for high performance super-capacitors, Fuel, 311(2022), art. No. 122552.

[39] I.I. Gurten Inal and Z. Aktas, Enhancing the performance of activated carbon based scalable supercapacitors by heat treatment, Appl. Surf. Sci., 514(2020), art. No. 145895.

[40] FrommO, HeckmannA, RodehorstUC, et al. . Carbons from biomass precursors as anode materials for lithium ion batteries: New insights into carbonization and graphitization behavior and into their correlation to electrochemical performance. Carbon, 2018, 128: 147.

[41] S.L. Wu, Y.T. Chen, T.P. Jiao, et al., An aqueous Zn-ion hybrid supercapacitor with high energy density and ultrastability up to 80 000 cycles, Adv. Energy Mater., 9(2019), No. 47, art. No. 1902915.

[42] YuHL, ZhouLM, LiZY, et al. . Electrodeposited polypyrrole/biomass-derived carbon composite electrodes with high hybrid capacitance and hierarchical porous structure for enhancing U(VI) electrosorption from aqueous solution. Sep. Purif Technol., 2022, 302: 122169.

[43] WangH, WangM, TangYB. A novel zinc-ion hybrid supercapacitor for long-life and low-cost energy storage applications. Energy Storage Mater., 2018, 13: 1.

[44] F.Z. Cui, Z.C. Liu, D.L. Ma, et al., Polyarylimide and porphyrin based polymer microspheres for zinc ion hybrid capacitors, Chem. Eng. J., 405(2021), art. No. 127038.

[45] T. Chen, M. Li, S. Song, P. Kim, and J. Bae, Biotemplate preparation of multilayered TiC nanoflakes for high performance symmetric supercapacitor, Nano Energy, 71(2020), art. No. 104549.

[46] Q. Jiang, N. Kurra, M. Alhabeb, Y. Gogotsi, and H.N. Alshareef, All pseudocapacitive MXene-RuO₂ asymmetric supercapacitors, Adv. Energy Mater., 8(2018), No. 13, art. No. 1703043.

[47] L.B. Dong, W. Yang, W. Yang, et al., High-power and ultralong-life aqueous zinc-ion hybrid capacitors based on pseudocapacitive charge storage, Nano Micro Lett., 11(2019), No. 1, art. No. 94.

[48] H.Z. Zhang, Q.Y. Liu, Y.B. Fang, et al., Boosting Zn-ion energy storage capability of hierarchically porous carbon by promoting chemical adsorption, Adv. Mater., 31(2019), No. 44, art. No. 1904948.

[49] J. Yin, W.L. Zhang, W.X. Wang, N.A. Alhebshi, N. Salah, and H.N. Alshareef, Electrochemical zinc ion capacitors enhanced by redox reactions of porous carbon cathodes, Adv. Energy Mater., 10(2020), No. 37, art. No. 2001705.

[50] W.J. Fan, J. Ding, J.N. Ding, et al., Identifying heteroatomic and defective sites in carbon with dual-ion adsorption capability for high energy and power zinc ion capacitor, Nano Micro Lett., 13(2021), No. 1, art. No. 59.

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

University of Science and Technology Beijing