Multifunctional Nitrogen-Doped Loofah Sponge Carbon Blocking Layer for High-Performance Rechargeable Lithium Batteries

Abstract

Low-cost, long-life, and high-performance lithium batteries not only provide an economically viable power source to electric vehicles and smart electricity grids but also address the issues of the energy shortage and environmental sustainability. Herein, low-cost, hierarchically porous, and nitrogen-doped loofah sponge carbon (N-LSC) derived from the loofah sponge has been synthesized via a simple calcining process and then applied as a multifunctional blocking layer for Li–S, Li–Se, and Li–I2 batteries. As a result of the ultrahigh specific area (2551.06 m2 g–1), high porosity (1.75 cm3 g–1), high conductivity (1170 S m–1), and heteroatoms doping of N-LSC, the resultant Li–S, Li–Se, and Li–I2 batteries with the N-LSC-900 membrane deliver outstanding electrochemical performance stability in all cases, i.e., high reversible capacities of 623.6 mA h g–1 at 1675 mA g–1 after 500 cycles, 350 mA h g–1 at 1356 mA g–1 after 1000 cycles, and 150 mA h g–1 at 10550 mA g–1 after 5000 cycles, respectively. The successful application to Li–S, Li–Se, and Li–I2 batteries suggests that loofa sponge carbon could play a vital role in modern rechargeable battery industries as a universal, cost-effective, environmentally friendly, and high-performance blocking layer.