Glucose-derived hollow microsphere graphite with a nanosheets-constructed porous shell for improved lithium storage

Abstract The electrochemical graphitization of glucose carbon was used to show transforming renewable biomass into value-added graphite. In our approach, glucose was initially converted to amorphous nanosphere or microsphere carbon, which was then graphitized through a cathodic polarization in molten CaCl2. The impacts of polarization potential, time, and temperature on the graphitization degree were studied in detail. It was shown that the microsphere carbon precursor could lead to a unique graphite structure: hollow microsphere graphite with a porous shell consisting of highly crystalline nanosheets. When used as anode for lithium-ion batteries, the hollow microsphere graphite showed a high specific capacity, high rate performance, and long cycling stability. It could deliver a reversible capacity of about 280 mAh g−1 at a charging/discharging rate of 5 C (1.86 A g−1).