Structural properties and electrochemical performances of mesoporous carbon towards enhanced lithium-ion storage

This study analyzes the structural characteristics of mesoporous carbon (CMK-3) and how they affect the specific capacity of Li-ion batteries (LIBs). To achieve this, CMK-3 is synthesized with and without the addition of oxalic acid as a catalyst to polymerize furfuryl alcohol (carbon precursor) in the template-assisted synthesis process using mesoporous silica. CMK-3 (without oxalic acid) and CMK-3_O (with oxalic acid) exhibit rod-like particles with cylindrical pores, showing high specific surface area (SSA) of 998 and 1067 ​m² ​g⁻¹ and oxygen-to-carbon ratios of 0.23 and 0.43, respectively. At 178 ​mA ​g⁻¹, the electrodes demonstrate specific capacities of 993 ​mA ​h ​g⁻¹ (CMK-3) and 520 ​mA ​h ​g⁻¹ (CMK-3_O). According to the cyclic voltammetry technique, the non-diffusion-controlled process (approximately 55 ​%) significantly contributes to the total charge storage in CMK-3. Although electrodes (CMK-3 and CMK-3_O) have similar SSA, this study highlights the significance of the disordered and defective structure in achieving a higher specific capacity from the same material without any changes in morphology, particle size, or synthesis route. Consequently, this work emphasizes the necessity of considering the structural properties of porous carbon electrodes when developing high-performance batteries for electric vehicles, where specific capacity and cyclic stability are crucial.