Lignin‐derived carbon with pyridine N‐B doping and a nanosandwich structure for high and stable lithium storage

Biomass‐derived carbon is a promising electrode material in energy storage devices.However,how to improve its low capacity and stability,and slow diffusion kinetics during lithium storage remains a challenge.In this research,we propose a“self‐assembly‐template”method to prepare B,N codoped porous carbon(BN‐C)with a nanosandwich structure and abundant pyridinic N‐B species.The nanosandwich structure can increase powder density and cycle stability by constructing a stable solid electrolyte interphase film,shortening the Li^(+)diffusion pathway,and accommodating volume expansion during repeated charging/discharging.The abundant pyridinic N‐B species can simultaneously promote the adsorption/desorption of Li^(+)/PF_(6)^(−)and reduce the diffusion barrier.The BN‐C electrode showed a high lithium‐ion storage capacity of above 1140 mAh g^(−1)at 0.05 A g^(−1)and superior stability(96.5%retained after 2000 cycles).Moreover,owing to the synergistic effect of the nanosandwich structure and pyridinic N‐B species,the assembled symmetrical BN‐C//BN‐C full cell shows a high energy density of 234.7Wh kg^(−1),high power density of 39.38 kW kg−1,and excellent cycling stability,superior to most of the other cells reported in the literature.As the density functional theory simulation demonstrated,pyridinic N‐B shows enhanced adsorption activity for Li^(+)and PF_(6)^(−),which promotes an increase in the capacity of the anode and cathode,respectively.Meanwhile,the relatively lower diffusion barrier of pyridinic N‐B promotes Li^(+)migration,resulting in good rate performance.Therefore,this study provides a new approach for the synergistic modulation of a nanostructure and an active site simultaneously to fabricate the carbon electrode material in energy storage devices.