Progress in the Use of Biosourced Phenolic Molecules for Electrode Manufacturing

Abstract

In the era of renewable technologies and clean processes, carbon science must adapt to this new model of a green society. Carbon materials are often obtained from petroleum precursors through polluting processes that do not meet the requirements of sustainable and green chemistry. Biomass is considered the only renewable source for the production of carbon materials, as the carbon in biomass comes from the consumption of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, resulting in zero net carbon dioxide emissions. In addition to being a green source of carbon materials, biomass has many advantages such as being a readily available, large and cheap feedstock, as well as the ability to create unique carbon-derived structures with well-developed porosity and heteroatom doping. All these positive aspects position biomass-derived carbon materials as attractive alternatives in multiple applications, from energy storage to electrocatalysis, via adsorption and biosensors, among others. This review focuses on the application of phenolic resins to the production of electrodes for energy storage and the slow but inexorable movement from petroleum-derived phenolic compounds to biosourced molecules (i.e., lignins, tannins, etc.) as precursors for these carbon materials. Important perspectives and challenges for the design of these biosourced electrodes are discussed.

10 years of frontiers in carbon-based materials: carbon, the “newest and oldest” material. The story so far

“…On the other hand, Kotal et al (2016) reviewed different applications of graphene aerogel-based materials including sensors, actuators and energy storage such as batteries and supercapacitors. Meanwhile, Quílez-Bermejo et al (2022) described in their review article the applications of the carbon-based materials obtained from biosourced phenolic resins or phenolic molecules. These materials can be used in supercapacitors and rechargeable batteries including lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and sodium-ion batteries (NIBs).…”

Catalyzing sustainability: phytic acid as a green precursor for metal-free carbon electrocatalysts in ORR

“…Due to the increasing global energy demand, signicant efforts have been made to mitigate the environmental impact of our dependence on fossil fuels in the economic system. 1 Green technologies such as fuel cells and metal-air batteries have shown great potential as sustainable and environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional fossil fuel-based devices. 2,3 The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is a fundamental electrochemical process that plays a crucial role in the energy conversion mechanism of these devices.…”

Green and easy synthesis of P-doped carbon-based hydrogen evolution reaction electrocatalysts

“…Despite the high catalytic performance in a wide variety of applications achieved by these methodologies, all of these synthesis routes involve the use of environmentally unfriendly precursors, primarily phosphoric acid. An alternative for the synthesis of highly active P-doped carbons through the use of biosourced precursors is thus needed [38].…”