Low-temperature synthesis of graphite with fast ion storage kinetics from greenhouse gas for electrochemical energy storage

Conventional graphite synthesis involves CO₂ emission and a graphitization process at a high temperature of ~3000°C. Herein, we report a new method to synthesize high-performance graphite anode materials from greenhouse CO₂ gas at an external heating temperature as low as 135°C. Transition metal catalysts are not required for low-temperature synthesis of graphite. Extreme graphitization temperatures are not required as compared to graphite synthesized from petroleum coke-based materials. The graphitization degree of graphite was found to be strongly related to CO₂ pressure. Graphite was synthesized at a maximum pressure of 20 MPa, whereas semi-graphited carbon was synthesized at a maximum pressure of 6.3 MPa. The synthesized graphite exhibited superior lithium storage kinetics and excellent cycling stability over 3000 cycles, with a capacity retention of ~100% at 1.0 A·g⁻¹. This work establishes an integrated sustainable strategy that concurrently addresses greenhouse gas utilization and energy-efficient anode material production.