Preparation of Mesoporous Biomass Carbon Derived from Corn Stalks and Formation Mechanism

Abstract Different formational process could lead to diverse morphologies and properties. Therefore, the study on formation mechanism was very important to figure out the influence of formational process. The corn stalk core (CSC), as a kind of renewable biological resource, could be used as raw materials to prepare activated carbon materials (ACs) via carbonizing and activating. The transformational mechanisms on the every step and the variation of various components in the CSC were studied, which was supposed the feasible methods to enhance the performance. In addition, the process of cellulose transforming into the carbon and the carbon structure were deduced. The carbon materials prepared were characterized through a series of equipments, such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and nitrogen adsorption‐desorption measurements (BET), the obtained results showed that the ACs with more pores and higher specific surface area than the materials unactivated. In the end, the ACs was applied as anode in the lithium ion batteries (LIBs) to test their electrochemical performances. Comparing the carbon materials unactivated, the role of activated process was revealed.