Dicyandiamide-formaldehyde and Borassus Flabellifer inflorescence assisted preparation of low surface area nitrogen-doped carbon as high-performance anode for lithium-ion batteries

The heteroatom-doped disordered and nanostructured carbon materials have gained significant attention due to their enormous potential to improve the performance of energy applications. In this context, we have successfully developed a sustainable green synthesis of disordered and nanostructured nitrogen-doped carbon using pre-carbonized Borassus Flabellifer Male Inflorescence biomass coated with Dicyandiamide and Formaldehyde polymer, which subsequently subjected to thermal activation at 1000 °C for 6 hrs in nitrogen environment and it has lower surface area (30.76 m² g⁻¹). The prepared N-doped carbon, when used as an anode in Li-ion batteries, delivered an outstanding reversible specific capacity of 655.8 mAh g⁻¹ at a current density of 100 mA g⁻¹ with the stable cycling behaviour for 1500 cycles. Even at a higher current rate (1000 mA g⁻¹), the prepared carbon displayed a reversible capacity of 351.9 mAh g⁻¹, thus making it a promising anode candidate for the next generation of high power lithium-ion batteries (LIBs).