Sodium storage in fluorine-rich mesoporous carbon fabricated by low-temperature carbonization of polyvinylidene fluoride with a silica template

Abstract

A facile and manageable method has been developed to prepare fluorine-doped mesoporous carbon by carbonizing polyvinylidene fluoride, a fluorine-contained carbon precursor, with a silica template for the first time. And it is argued that the F contents depend directly on carbonization temperatures. A mesoporous carbon with a high F-content of 8.35 at% is obtained at a low carbonization temperature of 500 °C. The fluorine-rich mesoporous carbon (FMC) possesses an enlarged interlayer spacing of 0.402 nm, an enhanced electrical conductivity and a mesopore based structure, exhibiting a remarkable electrochemical energy storage performance evaluated as a NIB anode, such as a high stable reversible capacity of 385 mA h g⁻¹ at 100 mA g⁻¹, a satisfactory initial coulombic efficiency of 59% and a high rate capability of 116 mA h g⁻¹ at 5 A g⁻¹.