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Review
. 2020 Sep 7;13(18):3945.
doi: 10.3390/ma13183945.

Synthesis of Carbon Nanomaterials from Biomass Utilizing Ionic Liquids for Potential Application in Solar Energy Conversion and Storage

Kudzai Mugadza  1 , Annegret Stark  2 , Patrick G Ndungu  3 , Vincent O Nyamori  1
Affiliations
Review

Synthesis of Carbon Nanomaterials from Biomass Utilizing Ionic Liquids for Potential Application in Solar Energy Conversion and Storage

Kudzai Mugadza et al. Materials (Basel). .

Abstract

Considering its availability, renewable character and abundance in nature, this review assesses the opportunity of the application of biomass as a precursor for the production of carbon-based nanostructured materials (CNMs). CNMs are exceptionally shaped nanomaterials that possess distinctive properties, with far-reaching applicability in a number of areas, including the fabrication of sustainable and efficient energy harnessing, conversion and storage devices. This review describes CNM synthesis, properties and modification, focusing on reports using biomass as starting material. Since biomass comprises 60-90% cellulose, the current review takes into account the properties of cellulose. Noting that highly crystalline cellulose poses a difficulty in dissolution, ionic liquids (ILs) are proposed as the solvent system to dissolve the cellulose-containing biomass in generating precursors for the synthesis of CNMs. Preliminary results with cellulose and sugarcane bagasse indicate that ILs can not only be used to make the biomass available in a liquefied form as required for the floating catalyst CVD technique but also to control the heteroatom content and composition in situ for the heteroatom doping of the materials.

Keywords: biomass; carbon-based nanostructured material; cellulose; energy; ionic liquids.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Various carbon nanostructures [44] (a) C60: Buckminsterfullerene; (b) nested giant fullerenes or graphitic onions; (c) carbon nanotube; (d) nanocones or nanohorns; (e) nanotoroids; (f) graphene surface; (g) 3D graphite crystal; (h) Haeckelite surface; (i) graphene nanoribbons; (j) graphene clusters; (k) helicoidal carbon nanotube; (l) short carbon chains; (m) 3D Schwarzite crystals; (n) carbon nanofoams (interconnected graphene surfaces with channels); (o) 3D nanotube networks, and (p) nanoribbon 2D networks.
Scheme 1
Scheme 1
Summary of the processing of precursors to carbon-based nanostructured materials (CNMs).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Mechanism of cellulose dissolution in [C4MIM]Cl [124].
Figure 3
Figure 3
Solubility of cellulose in various ionic liquids (ILs) [33].
Figure 4
Figure 4
Examples of surface modifications on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) [163].
Figure 5
Figure 5
Summary of the reported solar cell efficiencies with various types of photovoltaic cells from 1991–2020 [180]. This plot is courtesy of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Summary of the events during electron-hole transportation to electrodes.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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