Lignocellulosic materials for energy storage devices

With natural biodegradability and bio-renewability, lignocellulose has attracted great interest in the field of energy storage. Due to the porous structure, good thermal and chemical stability, and tunable surface chemistry, lignocellulose has been widely used in supercapacitors and batteries, functionalizing as electrolytes, electrodes, separators, and binders. More specifically, lignocellulose is flexible and can be combined with various polymers to produce solid-state electrolytes. On the other hand, lignocellulose can be carbonized or compounded with conductive materials to make flexible electrodes. In addition, lignocellulose can also be used to prepare sustainable binders and separators in energy storage devices to improve the stability and electrochemical properties. This review discusses the latest research on the fabrication of lignocellulose-based materials for energy storage applications. Lignocellulose-based materials as electrolytes, electrodes, separators and binders in supercapacitors and batteries are elaborated, respectively. Finally, a vision of the future regarding the challenges and their possible solutions are presented.