Heteroatom doped porous carbon derived from hair as an anode with high performance for lithium ion batteries

Abstract

Heteroatom doped porous carbon (HDPC) is fabricated using human hair as a carbon source via an acid pretreatment procedure and subsequent KOH activation. With the introduction of acid pretreatment, the obtained HDPC possesses a large specific surface area and an appropriate heteroatom doping level. As an anode material for lithium ion batteries, the as-synthesized HDPC delivers a superior specific capacity of 1331 mA h g⁻¹ at 0.1 A g⁻¹ and shows an impressive rate capability of 470 mA h g⁻¹ at 5 A g⁻¹. Even at an ultrahigh current density of 10 A g⁻¹, the reversible capacity is still as high as 205 mA h g⁻¹. The excellent electrochemical performance of HDPC could be ascribed to the high specific surface area, well-formed micro- and mesoporosity and heteroatom doping effects.