Nitrogen-doped carbon nanofibers derived from phenolic-resin-based analogues for high-performance lithium-ion batteries

The preparation of one-dimensional (1-D) carbon nanofibers (CNFs) for lithium-ion battery (LIB) anode materials plays a crucial role in electrochemical energy storage, but it still remains a great challenge due to the limited synthesis methods. Herein, we use a facile strategy to prepare the nitrogen-doped porous CNFs with high aspect ratio by direct pyrolysis of their phenolic-resin-based precursors in ammonium atmosphere. The polymer precursors are synthesized via a hydrothermal approach and have very high carbon yield over 50% in mass. Benefited from the unique 1-D porous structure, high nitrogen content and good conductivity, the ammonium-treated N-doped porous CNFs demonstrate an outstanding electrochemical lithium storage performance. The as-prepared N-doped porous CNFs demonstrates a high irreversible capacity of 325.2 mA h g−1 at 1000 mA g−1 together with an excellent long cycling performance (485.1 mA h g−1 at 500 mA g−1) after 500 cycles. This work offers a facile preparation strategy of the N-doped porous CNFs for high-efficiency energy storage electrode materials.