Blackberry Seeds-Derived Carbon as Stable Anodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Abstract

The suitability of biocarbons derived from blackberry seeds as anode materials in lithium-ion batteries has been assessed for the first time. Blackberry seeds have antibacterial, anticancer, antidysentery, antidiabetic, antidiarrheal, and potent antioxidant properties and are generally used for herbal medical purposes. Carbon is extracted from blackberries using a straightforward carbonization technique and activated with KOH at temperatures 700, 800, and 900 °C. The physical characterization demonstrates that activated blackberry seeds-derived carbon at 900 °C (ABBSC-900 °C) have well-ordered graphene sheets with high defects compared to the ABBSC-700 °C and ABBSC-800 °C. It is discovered that an ABBSC-900 °C is mesoporous, with a notable Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area of 65 m ² g ^–1. ABBSC-900 has good electrochemical characteristics, as studied under 100 and 1000 mA g ^–1 discharge conditions when used as a lithium intercalating anode. Delivered against a 500 mA g ^–1 current density, a steady reversible capacity of 482 mA h g ^–1 has been achieved even after 200 cycles. It is thought that disordered mesoporous carbon with a large surface area account for the improved electrochemical characteristics of the ABBSC-900 anode compared to the other ABBSC-700 and ABBSC-800 carbons. The research shows how to use a waste product, ABBSC, as the most desired anode for energy storage applications.