Molten KCl-thiourea synergy enabled N/S Co-doped lignin carbon for boosted CO2 adsorption and supercapacitors Show others and affiliations
2027 (English) In: Chemical Engineering Science, ISSN 0009-2509, E-ISSN 1873-4405, Vol. 338, article id 124736Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
Lignin holds great promise for fabricating multifunctional carbon materials, yet it is hindered by the difficulty of simultaneous pore structure regulation and heteroatom doping. To address this challenge, we propose a novel molten KCl-thiourea synergistic strategy for the scalable synthesis of N/S co-doped lignin-derived porous carbons without additional chemical activators. Molten KCl provides a growing environment to inhibit carbon agglomeration, guiding the formation of a hierarchical micropore-mesopore structure. Thiourea serves as a multi-role precursor: it crosslinks lignin-derived fragments to prevent structural collapse, acts as an in-situ N/S source, and reacts with residual Na+in lignin to form water-soluble salts for in-situ desalination. The optimal sample exhibits a high surface area of 1802 m2⋅g 1, a balanced pore size distribution, and a heteroatom content of N/S for CO2 adsorption (5.7 mmol⋅g 1) and supercapacitor applications (345F⋅g 1 at 0.1 A⋅g 1 and 98% capacitance retention after 10,000 cycles). This work not only provides a sustainable and cost-effective route for lignin valorization but also reveals the synergistic mechanism of molten salts and heteroatom precursors in regulating carbon structures. The resulting carbons exhibit great potential for practical applications in carbon capture and electrochemical energy storage.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages Elsevier Ltd , 2027. Vol. 338, article id 124736
Keywords [en]
Lignin, N/S doping, Porous carbon, Molten salt, CO2 capture
National Category
Energy Engineering Materials Chemistry
Research subject Energy Engineering
Identifiers URN: urn:nbn:se:ltu:diva-119405 DOI: 10.1016/j.ces.2026.124736 ISI: 001839954200001 Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-105045975255 OAI: oai:DiVA.org:ltu-119405 DiVA, id: diva2:2093077
Note Funder: the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2024YFE0206200); the National Natural Science Foundation of China (22494713; 22378183; 22378184; 22408155); the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province, China (BK20230328);
2026-08-182026-08-182026-08-18 Bibliographically approved