Corncob Derived Porous Carbon Anode for Long-Term Cycling in Low-Cost Lithium Storage

Corncob is a biomass waste that has the second cutting-edge abundance on a global scale. As a low cost and feasible agricultural waste byproduct, corncob can be used in the energy sector to produce green and cheap energy. In this research, we used corncob as a raw material to make corncob-derived carbon composites (CDCCs) through a scalable and cost-effective calcination process, without the need of acidic or alkali treatments under different conditions. The obtained CDCC possesses a large number of micropores and mesopores having a slit-like shape. It showed outstanding long-term cycling stability up to 4000 cycles, maintaining stable specific capacity of 230 mA h/g at a current density of 500 mA/g. The obtained composite anode showed outstanding performance at a current density of 1000 mA/g, with specific capacity of around 200 mA h/g up to 10,000 cycles. This method can also be applied to other biomass wastes for sustainable use in different applications.