Effects of structural feature of biomass raw materials on carbon products as matrix in cathode of Li-S battery and its electrochemical performance

In this study, three types of biomass with different structures were selected to synthesize carbon matrix in a cathode of Li-S battery. The influence of the structure of raw biomass on microstructure, sulfur-loading amount, and electrochemical performance was investigated in detail. The results demonstrated that the catkin-derived porous carbon (CPC) inherited the 1D-structured morphology and exhibited the highest specific surface area (2033.09 m2/g), the largest sulfur loading (53.72%), and the highest initial discharge specific capacity (1369.52 mA h g−1) under 0.1 C. Comparatively speaking, the wrinkled cloth-like sakura petal–derived porous carbon showed a better capacity (1218.14 mA h g−1) but poor cycling performance. And the 3D network structure of bamboo-derived porous carbon (BPC) exhibited a relatively high capacity retention. These results demonstrated that the structural feature of biomass raw materials plays an important role in the microstructure and electrochemical performance of the carbon products.