Hollow carbon spheres (HCS) have attracted considerable attention because their large specific surface area, chemical stability, thermal insulation, high mechanical strength and many potential applications. However, using the general templating method to prepare the HCS is either non-environmentally friendly or it is hard to control the morphology.<br/>Lignin as the world’s largest, by volume, renewable phenolic polymer. It is an inexpensive, nontoxic, and sustainable carbon-rich biomass material. Lignin contains an aromatic backbone which is attractive because it should confer rigidity to macromolecular structures, more than other bio-based building blocks, such as fatty acids and glucose. Owing to the high concentration of hydroxyl functionality which includes both aliphatic and phenolic hydroxyls, the chemical modification of lignin is interesting, and can be applied to control the morphology. In addition, the aromatic nature of lignin may constitute a natural and sustainable alternative to petrol-based compounds such as terephthalic acid or bisphenol A, where there are concerns from the environmental and health point of view.<br/>Herein, we chose a fractionated lignin, with a well-defined molecular structure, as the carbon precursor. The synthesis process of HCS was investigated and the effect of different processing parameters during the hydrothermal carbonization treatment step was investigated. A dynamic formation process of the hollow carbon structures was identified based on the results of SEM, TEM and FTIR. The formation mechanism was elucidated, which improved our understanding of how the hollow lignin spheres are formed during the soft templating step and consecutive hydrothermal carbonization step. The resultant HCSs were stable and of narrow size distribution, and their performances in electrochemical applications were evaluated.

Uniform and size-controllable hollow carbon structure (HCS) utilizing a kraft lignin fraction as a carbon precursor

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.