Facile fabrication of polyacrylonitrile-derived porous carbon beads via electron beam irradiation as anode materials for Li-ion batteries

Abstract

In this study, porous carbon beads (PCBs) as an anode material for Li-ion batteries (LiBs) were prepared from polyacrylonitrile (PAN) via electron beam irradiation (EBI). Porous PAN beads (PPBs) were irradiated with electron beams, stabilized under the optimized conditions, and finally carbonized to produce PCBs. EBI was introduced to shorten the conventional thermal stabilization. The results of N-2 physisorption measurement revealed that the PCBs had hierarchical pore structures. The PCB-based anodes exhibited an initial reversible capacity of 387 mAh g(-1) at 0.2 C and a high capacity retention of 83.2% after 200 cycles. Therefore, the PCBs prepared via EBI are promising anode material for LiBs.