Ecofriendly Synthesis of Waste-Tire-Derived Graphite Nanoflakes by a Low-Temperature Electrochemical Graphitization Process toward a Silicon-Based Anode with a High-Performance Lithium-Ion Battery
Abstract Here, the successful transformation of graphitic carbon with a high degree of graphitization and a nanoflake structure from pyrolytic tire carbon black was demonstrated. First, amorphous carbon black with a porous structure was obtained after pyrolysis and simple preacid treatments. Subsequently, the carbon black was converted into a highly graphitic structure at a relatively low temperature (850 °C) through a facile electrochemical route using molten salt, which is ecofriendly and has high potential for large-scale graphitization compared to conventional incineration techniques. Moreover, we further improved the crystallinity and uniformity of the product simultaneously by directly mixing the metal oxide catalyst Fe2O3 with a carbon precursor. The mechanism of this metal-catalyzed electrochemical graphitization has been discussed in detail. To confirm their potential in practical applications, the as-prepared graphitized nanoflakes were used as conductive additives for silico...