Hollow-tunneled graphitic carbon nanofibers through Ni-diffusion-induced graphitization as high-performance anode materials

Abstract

N-doped nanoporous graphitic carbon has attracted great interest because of its distinctive structure and physical properties. In this paper, we have proposed a novel method to control Ni-induced graphitization by diffusing Ni nanoparticles from graphitic carbon spheres into N-doped amorphous carbon nanofibers, which turns amorphous carbon into graphitic carbon and produces a hollow-tunnel structure in electrospun carbon/Ni nanofibers. The resultant materials were further treated by chemical activation and acid treatment to develop activated N-doped hollow-tunneled graphitic carbon nanofibers (ANHTGCNs). In a typical application, we demonstrate that ANHTGCNs are excellent anode materials for lithium ion batteries (LIBs), displaying a superhigh reversible specific capacity of ∼1560 mA h g⁻¹ and a remarkable volumetric capacity of ∼1.8 A h cm⁻³ at a current density of 0.1 A g⁻¹ with outstanding rate capability and good cycling stability.