Synthesis of 3D graphitic carbon foams via pressurized pyrolysis of Victorian brown coal as anode material for Li-ion battery

This study investigates an alternative utilization of earth-abundant Victorian brown coal (BC) for carbon foam preparation and its application in LIBs. Carbon foams (CFs) from blends of Victorian BC and coal tar pitch (CTP) were synthesized through pressurized pyrolysis. The effects of blending ratio and pyrolytic pressure on pore structure transition were systematically studied by SEM and micro-computed tomography beamline (micro-CT) followed by 3D modeling analysis. Furthermore, catalytic graphitization coupled with air activation were used to tailor the structure of CFs as anodic materials for LIBs. The impacts of carbon microstructure and hierarchical pore structure of CFs on the electrochemical performance of LIBs were investigated. The battery test of porous graphitic CFs exhibited an enhanced LIBs performance of 463.1 mAh/g under the current density of 0.1 A/g compared to CFs without treatments. There was 71.49% retention after 1000 cycles at 1 A/g, and the coulombic efficiency remained at 99.99%. • Victorian brown coal and coal tar pitch-based carbon foams were synthesized. • The 3D morphology of carbon foams (CFs) was analyzed using micro-CT. • Higher synthesis pressure led to better rate performance and cycling stability. • Reversible capacity and cycling stability of graphitic CFs enhanced after activation.