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Electrochemical hydrogen storage, which can be performed at ambient temperatures and mild pressures, is regarded as a promising technique to store hydrogen safely and efficiently. In this study, the electrochemical hydrogen storage performance of activated carbon was improved by synthesizing a graphitized microcrystalline porous carbon material through a facile one-step catalytic carbonization activation procedure using coal as the raw material. Owing to the synthetic effect of the conductive network and the hierarchical porous structure, the carbon electrode exhibited high capacity, excellent rate performance, and substantial cycling stability for electrochemical hydrogen storage. The hydrogen storage capacity of the material was 278 mA h g−1 at a current density of 100 mA g−1, with considerable capacity retention of 86% after 50 cycles. The electrode exhibited superior rate capacity of 260 mA h g−1 at 200 mA g−1. Porous carbon with microcrystalline graphite was demonstrated to be an efficient electrode for electrochemical hydrogen storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Achieving appropriate cycling stability for metal sulfides used as anodes in Li-ion batteries remains highly challenging because of structural collapse or low conductivity. Herein, a novel composite was designed as an anode material for Li-ion batteries. This unique architecture has the advantages of a large interface area, numerous channels for Li+ and electron transport, and a porous structure that facilitates electrolyte infiltration and buffers the volume expansion. As expected, this composite exhibits good cycling stability, high reversible capacity, and high rate capability, delivering a high discharge capacity of 1511.6 mA h g−1 and a high first columbic efficiency of 83.27%. The reversible capacities of graphitic-carbon network material (GCNM) electrodes are 1112 mA h g−1 at a current density of 0.1 A g−1 after 100 cycles, and they show superior rate capabilities. This GCNM composite demonstrates great potential for applications in power sources for flexible and lightweight electronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]