Compressible, anisotropic lamellar cellulose-based carbon aerogels enhanced by carbon dots for superior energy storage and water deionization

• Published in: Carbohydrate polymers Vol. 252; p. 117209
• Main Authors: Sun, Jiaming, Liu, Yushan, Wu, Zhenwei, Xu, Mingcong, E, Lei, Ma, Chuihui, Luo, Sha, Huang, Ju, Li, Wei, Liu, Shouxin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 15-01-2021
• Subjects: carbon quantum dot; cellulose; compressible carbon aerogel; deionization; N,P,O co-doped; supercapacitor; carbon quantum dot; compressible carbon aerogel; deionization; N,P,O co-doped; cellulose; supercapacitor
• ISSN: 0144-8617; 1879-1344
• DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2020.117209

•A compressible anisotropic ternary carbon aerogel (CA) of rGO/CDs/CMF is reported.•CDs build electron-rich regions and promote the formation of N-Q to reduce Rct.•The scattered CDs do not sacrifice density, stability, or SSA of ternary CA.•CA has a specific capacitance of 330 F g-1 and deionization capacity of 32.59 mg g−1.
Heteroatom-doped carbon materials have received great attention for applications in electrode materials. However, conventional heteroatom-doping methods sacrifice conductivity, stability, and specific surface area (SSA). Here, the carbon quantum dots (CDs) are used as carriers of N, P, O to form electron-rich regions promoting electron transport without decreasing stability and SSA. The CDs promote the formation of graphitic nitrogen in the composite, which effectively reduces their internal resistance by increasing the dielectric constant. Moreover, the orderly growth of ice crystals generates a unique bridged layer structure under bidirectional freeze-casting in a mixture of GO/CDs/microfibrillated cellulose, which gives the composite super-compressibility. Notably, the optimal sample has a 117% increase in specific capacitance. The CDs also improve wettability and thus reduce the charge transfer resistance giving a large desalination capacity of 32.59 mg g−1 (504 mg L−1 NaCl). This work illustrates the unique role of CDs in improving the electrochemical performance of composites.