Spent asphalt-derived mesoporous carbon for high-performance Li/Na/K-ion storage

Along with the surging demand for rechargeable alkali-ion (Li+, Na+, or K+) batteries, cost and availability of the battery materials become critical. In this paper, we report the use of spent asphalt, which is widely available and even poses environmental risks, to produce a high-performing universal Li/Na/K-ion host material. Taking advantage of a nano-Fe2O3 template, the spent asphalt is converted into mesoporous carbon with an interconnected...