Carbon nanorods derived from natural based nanocrystalline cellulose for highly efficient capacitive deionization

Abstract

Carbon nanorods (CNRs) were fabricated from natural based nanocrystalline cellulose through a simple thermal treatment at 800, 1000 and 1200 °C. The morphology, structure and electrochemical performance of CNRs were characterized by atomic force microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, nitrogen adsorption–desorption, cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Their electrosorption performance in NaCl solution was studied. The results show that CNRs treated at 1200 °C exhibit the highest specific capacitance of 264.19 F g⁻¹ and electrosorption capacity of 15.12 mg g⁻¹ with the initial NaCl concentration of 500 mg l⁻¹, due to their high specific surface area and low charge transfer resistance.