Publications

Abstract : With increasing awareness on environmental issues associated with conventional energy sources, a new class of storage and integration systems of both fossil and alternative energy sources are required to meet the energy demand for the growing population of modern technological society. Among various technologies, the secondary rechargeable battery based on the sodium ion storage phenomena offers greater advantages including high energy density, the abundance of minerals, and cost-effective production and maintenance. In the sodium-ion storage systems, carbonaceous materials, i.e., hard carbons are explored as anode materials, which can provide high energy density and long-term stability for multiple charging/discharging cycles. These hard carbons can be obtained from both fossil and the abundant, low-cost biomass sources. With the advancement in the biorefinery and nanotechnology, nanoscale biomass-derived materials can offer great potential of controlling the morphological features, lignocellulosic composition, and lowering the energy input for pyrolysis/carbonization. These parameters significantly affect the final carbon structure and its performance as anode material in the battery. Hence, this chapter provides brief introduction on sodium-ion battery systems and reviews the recent progress and advantages of using biomass-derived nanoscale materials as carbon precursors.