Energy storage depends on carbon, and most of the carbon inside today’s batteries and capacitors comes from fossil sources such as petroleum coke and synthetic graphite. We are developing biomass-derived carbons with controlled porosity, layer spacing and surface chemistry, so that the next generation of energy storage can begin with a renewable feedstock grown in Indian fields.
Hard carbon anodes give sodium-ion batteries an affordable anode built from abundant, renewable material.
High-surface-area carbons store charge in supercapacitors that deliver power in seconds across hundreds of thousands of cycles.
Nitrogen-doped carbons support the catalysts used in fuel cells and in electrolysers that produce green hydrogen.
Conductive carbon additives help electrodes across many battery chemistries carry current efficiently.
