Graphite has become a critical material because of its essential role in the lithium-ion battery (LIB) industry. However, the synthesis of graphite requires an energy-intensive thermal treatment. Also, when used in sodium-ion and potassium-ion batteries (SIBs and PIBs), the graphite anode shows poor capacities and cycling stability, which hinders the development of next-generation battery technologies. Finding suitable anode materials for commercial alkali metal-ion batteries is not only urgent for the energy storage industry, but is also important for economic and sustainable development. In this work, we use fly ash carbon (FAC), a residue of crude oil combustion, as an anode material for alkali metal-ion batteries. The FAC anodes show relatively high capacities and excellent cycling stability. The charge storage mechanism of FAC anode is shown to be intercalation coupled with redox reactions of oxygen functional groups. This work shows that FAC is a promising scalable anode material for alkali metal-ion batteries.
Keywords: alkali metal-ion batteries; carbon anode; fly ash carbon; oxygen functional groups; surface chemistry.