Millisecond photothermal carbonization for in-situ fabrication of mesoporous graphitic carbon nanocomposite electrode films

Binder-free mesoporous graphitic carbon composite films on polymer or metal substrates are attractive for high-surface-area electrodes to achieve superior device performances. However, rapid and large-area fabrication of such materials remains a significant challenge due to the harsh conditions required for the carbonization process. We report an efficient method that combines bottom-up precursor film assembly with photothermal processing using sub-millisecond light pulses generated from a xenon flash lamp. This approach enables the rapid carbonization and graphitization of precursor films over large areas at ambient bulk temperature to yield functional films while avoiding damage to the substrates. The films contain light-absorbing nanoparticles to convert light energy into heat, a block copolymer to template the porous structures via self-assembly, and phenol-fomaldehyde resin to form the carbon skeleton. Graphitic carbon nanoribbons embedded in a porous carbon matrix are created under mild conditions using iron nanoparticles as the catalyst during the millisecond photothermal process. The resulting composite films show excellent electrochemical properties and are demonstrated for use as high capacity lithium ion battery anodes. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study presents an efficient method that combines bottom-up precursor film assembly with photothermal processing to rapidly fabricate binder-free mesoporous graphitic carbon composite films on polymer or metal substrates at ambient bulk temperature. The resulting composite films show excellent electrochemical properties and demonstrate high capacity as lithium ion battery anodes.