Coal-liquid based upgraded carbon materials for energy storage

Abstract

In the last years our society has shown a growing interest not only on the development of new sources of clean energy but also of advanced devices able to store it, because of the need associated with the appearance of new applications and to address one of the main drawbacks of the electricity distribution network as fluctuations between supply/demand. In this context, supercapacitors (SCs) and hybrid systems have emerged to cover the power and energy density demands. The main goal of this project is the development of coal liquids-based carbon materials with superior properties for their use as electrodes in these electrochemical energy storage systems. Coal-derived liquids (coal tars, anthracene oils) are proposed as raw materials for the production (following conventional and unconventional technologies) of polymerized-isotropic/mesophase pitches and cokes/graphites to be used in the preparation of activated carbons (ACs), graphenes (Gs) and composites of both of them (AC/Gs) with tailored characteristics that will allow the production of devices with higher power and energy densities. Thus, this project will address the demand of the electrical energy industry for more efficient energy storage devices.