Cellulose-derived carbon aerogel from rice straw for high-performance lithium-ion battery anodes

The increasing demand for energy storage solutions in recent years has driven the development of materials that are both environmentally friendly and long-lasting for battery manufacturing. As an alternative to conventional materials suffering from limited theoretical capacities, low energy densities, and a scarcity of active sites, carbon-based materials derived from wasted feedstocks such as rice straw could be regarded as a prospective precursor for the fabrication of anodes in lithium-ion batteries. Existing research concentrates on carbon materials with superior electrical conductivity and expansive specific surface areas, like graphene or carbon nanotubes. However, their intricate preparation methods, high costs, and nonrenewable nature significantly constrain their industrial-scale production and extensive use. For the first time, in this study, micro-fibrillated cellulose, which was extracted from agricultural waste, acted as the precursor for the synthesis of carbon aerogels through a facile route without any modification. The resulting carbon-based material exhibited an impressive initial specific charge capacity of 348.6 mAh g⁻¹ and maintained a stable performance with nearly 257.5 mAh g⁻¹ after over 100 cycles. These achievements not only represent a substantial advancement in the efficient utilization of agricultural waste to address environmental concerns but also introduce a valuable resource for advancing energy storage technology.