Voronoi‐Tessellated Graphite Produced by Low‐Temperature Catalytic Graphitization from Renewable Resources

• DOI: 10.1002/cssc.201701211
• Publication Date: 2017-08-01T19:02:41Z
• Authors: Leyi Zhao; Xiuyun Zhao; Luke T. Burke; J. Craig Bennett; Richard A. Dunlap; Mark N. Obrovac
• Keywords: Electrochemistry; Temperature; Graphite; Green Chemistry Technology; 7. Clean energy; 01 natural sciences; Catalysis; 0104 chemical sciences

AbstractA highly crystalline graphite powder was prepared from the low temperature (800–1000 °C) graphitization of renewable hard carbon precursors using a magnesium catalyst. The resulting graphite particles are composed of Voronoi‐tessellated regions comprising irregular sheets; each Voronoi‐tessellated region having a small “seed” particle located near their centroid on the surface. This suggests nucleated outward growth of graphitic carbon, which has not been previously observed. Each seed particle consists of a spheroidal graphite shell on the inside of which hexagonal graphite platelets are perpendicularly affixed. This results in a unique high surface area graphite with a high degree of graphitization that is made with renewable feedstocks at temperatures far below that conventionally used for artificial graphites.