Porous carbon derived from loofah sponge/flower-like CoO nanocomposites for lithium-ion batteries

A kind of porous carbon with low cost and abundance in nature derived from loofah sponge (LS) was prepared and applied as three-dimensional (3D) conductive network to support flower-like CoO for lithium-ion batteries' (LIBs) anode. LS, as a natural biomass, was rich in nitrogen source and also had abundantly porous structures. Therefore, the formation of porous LS carbon (LSC) with excellent electrical conductivity and high specific areas made it possible to replace relative expensive graphene or carbon nanotubes. When it was used as the supporting matrix to load the flower-like CoO, 3D conductive carbon network and porous structure could not only improve the electron transport and area of contact with the electrolyte, but also buffer general problem of cracking or pulverization caused by the volume stress of CoO. Finally, the obtained flower-like CoO/LSC nanocomposites exhibited a high capacity of 781 mAh g(-1) at 200 mAg(-1) after 150 discharging/charging cycles and an outstanding rate capability, which was far better than that of pure LSC, CoO and commercial graphite. The good performance showed that LS might be used widely in LIBs as an effective supporting conductive carbon material due to its accessibility and low cost. It also provided a thinking approach to make good use of many natural resources for energy storage. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.