Hierarchical porous carbon derived from animal bone as matric to encapsulated selenium for high performance Li–Se battery

Animal bone was employed as raw material to prepare hierarchical porous carbon by KOH activation. Rare metal selenium (Se) was encapsulated into hierarchical porous carbon successfully for the cathode material of Li–Se battery, achieving the transformation of waste into energy, protecting environment and reducing the spread of the disease. Animal bone porous carbon (ABPC) acquires a specific surface area of 1244.7903 m²·g⁻¹ and a pore volume of 0.594184 cm³·g⁻¹. The composite Se/ABPC with 51 wt% Se was tested as a novel cathode for Li–Se batteries. The results show that Se/ABPC exhibits high specific capacity, good cycling stability and current-rate performance; at 0.1C, the composite Se/ABPC delivers a high reversible capacity of 705 mAh·g⁻¹ in the second cycle and 591 mAh·g⁻¹ after 98 cycles. Even at the current density of 2.0C, it can still maintain at a reversible capacity of 485 mAh·g⁻¹. The excellent electrochemical properties benefit from the high electron conductivity and the carbon with unique hierarchical porous structure. ABPC can be a promising carbon matrix for Li–Se batteries.