Electrochemical Applications of Porous Materials Derived from Coal

As the world shifts from the use of coal to alternatives for electricity generation, including renewable energy, interest arises in developing alternative uses for coal. There are vast U.S. coal reserves, much of which are in historically underrepresented or economically depressed regions. This has created environmental concerns in these regions, especially related to legacy impoundments and other waste coal issues. Finding alternative uses for that coal could create new job opportunities in these regions while also addressing climate change. Currently, there are very few applications for coal outside of its traditional use for electricity production. This group has been developing alternative uses for coal, including uses in energy storage applications. This presentation will discuss the development of macroporous coal materials that then can be further processed into micron or nanometer size particles for porous materials. The characterization of these porous materials will be presented. Graphitized materials for use in lithium ion battery electrodes will be presented. Nanoscale materials such as graphene and carbon quantum dots derived from coal will be presented, along with their application in porous electrodes for batteries and capacitors.