Phosphate-Induced Reaction to Prepare Coal-Based P-Doped Hard Carbon with a Hierarchical Porous Structure for Improved Sodium-Ion Storage

Abstract

The use of coal as a precursor for producing hard carbon is favored due to its abundance, low cost, and high carbon yield. To further optimize the sodium storage performance of hard carbon, the introduction of heteroatoms has been shown to be an effective approach. However, the inert structure in coal limits the development of heteroatom-doped coal-based hard carbon. Herein, coal-based P-doped hard carbon was synthesized using Ca3(PO4)2 to achieve homogeneous phosphorus doping and inhibit carbon microcrystal development during high-temperature carbonization. This involved a carbon dissolution reaction where Ca3(PO4)2 reacted with SiO2 and carbon in coal to form phosphorus and CO. The resulting hierarchical porous structure allowed for rapid diffusion of Na+ and resulted in a high reversible capacity of 200 mAh g−1 when used as an anode material for Na+ storage. Compared to unpretreated coal-based hard carbon, the P-doped hard carbon displayed a larger initial coulombic efficiency (64%) and proportion of plateau capacity (47%), whereas the unpretreated carbon only exhibited an initial coulombic efficiency of 43.1% and a proportion of plateau capacity of 29.8%. This work provides a green, scalable approach for effective microcrystalline regulation of hard carbon from low-cost and highly aromatic precursors.

Electrochemical Anodic Oxidation-Based Membrane System for Micropollutant Removal

“…The in situ heteroatom doping can be achieved by mixing different heteroatom precursors with coal dough. For example, Deng et al151 synthesized a novel P-doped coal-based carbon through heat treatment of a mixture of raw coal and Ca 3 (PO 4 ) 2 in Ar atmosphere successfully, which exhibited an improved electrochemical performance. (3) MOF-derived carbon.…”