Sugar-derived disordered carbon nano-sheets as high-performance electrodes in sodium-ion batteries

Abstract

Inspired by the simple and spectacular experiment of dehydrogenation of sugar by sulphuric acid, we developed a microwave based solvothermal technique for the synthesis of activated carbon nano-sheets (aCNS) using white sugar as the carbon source and potassium hydroxide as the activating agent. Morphological studies using SEM showed micrometer-long and nanometer-thick aCNS, whereas HRTEM showed the presence of semi-graphitic islands. When used as electrodes in sodium-ion batteries, our aCNS showed a high specific capacitance of 423 mA h g⁻¹ with a good rate capability even after 200 cycles.