Turning biomass waste to a valuable nitrogen and boron dual-doped carbon aerogel for high performance lithium-sulfur batteries

Abstract In this study, a green and natural biomass waste (pomelo peel) was utilized as eco-friendy and abundantly sustainable precursor to prepare low-cost and valuable porous nitrogen and boron dual-doped carbon aerogel (NB-PPCA). X-ray diffractometer, Raman spectrometer, scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, pore size and surface area analyzer, Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were exploited to investigate its morphology and microstructure. It was subsequently employed as a coating on pristine separator in lithium sulfur (Li-S) battery. The coating could not only decrease the interface resistance between the cathode and the separator and thus improve the reaction kinetics of the Li-S battery, but also effectively sequester the polysulfides and restrain the “shuttle effect” inside the battery. The cell with coating on separator delivered a high specific capacity of 586.6 mAh g−1 after 500 cycles at 1 C, and it also exhibited good cycle stability and rate performance.