Heteroatoms Doped Porous Carbon Nanostructures Recovered from Agriculture Waste for Energy Conversion and Storage

Biomass-derived porous carbons (BPCs) represents one of the most diverse classes of materials with exceptional properties such as high specific surface area, wide availability, biodegradability, low cost, and tunable porous features. A broad range of new carbon materials for suitable applications including water purification, catalyst supports and electrodes for electrochemical capacitors, sensing, and fuel cells have been developed. This not only increased the economic benefits and sustainability of chemical industry but also minimized the environmental impacts. The wide application of various energy technologies for specific purposes is mainly reliant on the design of electrode materials, particularly carbon electrodes. In this chapter, recent developments and breakthroughs of BPCs are presented. Characteristics controlling mechanisms behind their performance, especially pore structure and surface functionality, are discussed, which will direct the rational design of BPCs for practical use. In addition, the progress on application of these materials as electrodes for electrochemical devices such as fuel cells, CO2 capture, water splitting, and lithium-ion batteries, is summarized.