L'utilisation d'un électrolyte aqueux pour la technologie Li-ion devrait permettre des performances en termes de puissance et de coût tout en garantissant une sécurité de fonctionnement et un impact neutre vis-à-vis de l'environnement. Cette technologie utilise des composés d'insertion du lithium fonctionnant habituellement en milieu organique dont le choix doit être adapté à un électrolyte aqueux, présentant une fenêtre de stabilité électrochimique réduite. Le travail de thèse porte dans un premier temps sur la sélection des différents éléments constituant un accumulateur Li-ion aqueux: choix de l'électrolyte, des collecteurs de courant, des liants d'électrode et des matériaux d'électrode. Les performances électrochimiques en milieu aqueux de différents composés d'insertion du lithium ont été évaluées. Afin d'augmenter la fenêtre de stabilité électrochimique de l'électrolyte aqueux, la passivation des électrodes par réduction de sels de diazonium a été réalisée. L'influence de la nature des sels de diazonium et de l'épaisseur des films sur les performances électrochimiques des électrodes a été évaluée par diverses techniques, voltampérométrie et impédance électrochimique. Les résultats obtenus montrent l'impact positif des dépôts obtenus vis-à-vis de l'augmentation de la surtension de réduction de l'eau. Ces travaux ouvrent la voie à des perspectives prometteuses sur cette technologie Li-Ion aqueuse.

The Lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery is one of the major topics currently studied as a potential way to help in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Major car manufacturers are interested in adapting the Li-ion battery in the power trains of Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV) to improve fuel efficiency. Materials currently used for Li-ion batteries are LiCoO2 (LCO) and graphite—the first materials successfully integrated by Sony into Li-ion batteries. However, due to the high cost and polluting effect of cobalt (Co), and the low volumetric capacity of graphite, new materials are being sought out. LiFePO4 (LFP) and SnO2 are both good alternatives for the cathode and anode materials in Li-ion batteries. But, to create high-performance batteries, nano-sized carbon-coated particles of LFP and SnO2 are required. The present work attempts to develop a new synthesis method for these materials: organic template-assisted synthesis for three-dimensionally ordered macroporous (3DOM) LFP and porous SnO2. With the newly developed synthesis, highly pure materials were successfully synthesized and tested in Li-ion batteries. The obtained capacity for LFP was 158m Ah/g, which is equivalent to 93% of the theoretical capacity. The obtained capacity for SnO2 was 700 mAh/g, which is equivalent to 90% of the theoretical capacity. Moreover, Hybrid Pulse Power Characterization (HPPC) was used to test LFP and LCO for comparison and feasibility in PHEVs. HPPC is generally used to test the feasibility and capacity fade for PHEVs. It simulates battery use in various driving conditions of PHEVs to study pulse energy consumption and regeneration. In this case, HPPC was conducted on a half-cell battery for the first time to study the phenomena on a single active material, LFP or LCO. Based on the HPPC results, LFP proved to be more practical for use in PHEVs.

Rechargeable batteries are found in almost every battery powered application. Be it portable, stationary or motive applications, these batteries go hand in hand with battery charging systems. With energy harvesting being targeted in this day and age, high energy density and longer lasting batteries with efficient charging systems are being developed by companies and original equipment manufacturers. Whatever the application may be, rechargeable batteries, which deliver power to a load or system, have to be replenished or recharged once their energy is depleted. Battery charging systems must perform this replenishment by using very fast and efficient methods to extend battery life and to increase periods between charges. In this regard, they have to be versatile, efficient and user programmable to increase their applications in numerous battery powered systems. This is to reduce the cost of using different battery chargers for different types of battery powered applications and also to provide the convenience of rare battery replacement and extend the periods between charges. This thesis proposes a user programmable charging system that can charge a Lithium ion battery from three different input sources, i.e. a wall outlet, a universal serial bus (USB) and an energy harvesting system. The proposed charging system consists of three main building blocks, i.e. a pulse charger, a step down DC to DC converter and a switching network system, to extend the number of applications it can be used for. The switching network system is to allow charging of a battery via an energy harvesting system, while the step down converter is used to provide an initial supply voltage to kick start the energy harvesting system. The pulse charger enables the battery to be charged from a wall outlet or a USB network. It can also be reconfigured to charge a Nickel Metal Hydride battery. The final design is implemented on an IBM 0.18µm process. Experimental results verify the concept of the proposed charging system. The pulse charger is able to be reconfigured as a trickle charger and a constant current charger to charge a Li-ion battery and a Nickel Metal Hydride battery, respectively. The step down converter has a maximum efficiency of 90% at an input voltage of 3V and the charging of the battery via an energy harvesting system is also verified.

Increasing pressure from environmental, political and economic sources are driving the development of an electric vehicle powertrain. The advent of hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), and battery electric vehicles (BEVs) bring significant technological and design challenges. The success of electric vehicle powertrains depends heavily on the robustness and longevity of the on-board energy storage system or battery. Currently, lithium-ion batteries are the most suitable technology for use in electrified vehicles. The majority of literature and commercially available battery performance data assumes a working environment that is at room temperature. However, an electrified vehicle battery will need to perform under a wide range of temperatures, including the extreme cold and hot environments. Battery performance changes significantly with temperature, so the effects of extreme temperature operation must be understood and accounted for in electrified vehicle design. In order to meet the aggressive development schedules of the automotive industry, electrified powertrain models are often employed. The development of a temperature-dependent battery model with an accompanying vehicle model would greatly enable model based design and rapid prototyping efforts. This paper empirically determines the performance characteristics of an A123 lithium iron-phosphate battery, re-parameterizes the battery model of a vehicle powertrain model, and estimates the electric range of the modeled vehicle at various temperatures. The battery and vehicle models will allow future development of cold-weather operational strategies. As expected the vehicle range is found to be far lower with a cold battery back. This effect is seen to be much more pronounced in the aggressive US06 drive cycle where the all-electric range was found to be 44% lower at -20°C than at 25°C. Also it was found that there was minimal impact of temperature on range above 25°C

Souza, D. A. Predição e monitoramento da vida útil remanescente de baterias aeronáuticas. 2016. 77f. Dissertação (Mestrado em Engenharia elétrica e da Computação) - Campus de Sobral, Universidade Federal do Ceará, 2016. / Submitted by Programa de Pós-Graduação Engenharia Elétrica e de Computação (secretaria_ppgeec@sobral.ufc.br) on 2017-02-01T16:29:31Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2017_dis_dadesouza.pdf: 2712687 bytes, checksum: ab9342a53c8f7e103c022b0fcec1fcb7 (MD5) / Rejected by Ana Márcia Sousa (marciasousa@ufc.br), reason: Prezada, Favor concluir a submissão. Faltou o preenchimento dos campos: Título em inglês, citação e descrição. Também observamos que o título está todo em maiúsculo e os campos autor e orientador estão preenchidos de forma errada. Favor fazer como no guia de preenchimento, lembrando que apenas os sobrenomes compostos ficam juntos no campo sobrenome. Quanto ao trabalho o aluno precisa corrigir apenas a folha de aprovação de acordo com as normas bibliográficas que se encontram no site da biblioteca on 2017-02-02T12:13:11Z (GMT) / Submitted by Programa de Pós-Graduação Engenharia Elétrica e de Computação (secretaria_ppgeec@sobral.ufc.br) on 2017-02-03T14:01:51Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2017_dis_dadesouza.pdf: 2712687 bytes, checksum: ab9342a53c8f7e103c022b0fcec1fcb7 (MD5) / Rejected by Ana Márcia Sousa (marciasousa@ufc.br), reason: Prezada, Favor verificar os campus: Autor, orientador, citação, descrição e título em inglês e fazer como está no guia de preenchimento que está na documentação enviada a você por ocasião do treinamento. Quanto a dissertação do aluno ainda falta corrigir o alinhamento da pág. de aprovação de acordo com o modelo da Normalização da UFC on 2017-02-03T14:58:11Z (GMT) / Submitted by Programa de Pós-Graduação Engenharia Elétrica e de Computação (secretaria_ppgeec@sobral.ufc.br) on 2017-02-07T15:54:14Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2017_dis_dadesouza.pdf: 2712687 bytes, checksum: ab9342a53c8f7e103c022b0fcec1fcb7 (MD5) / Rejected by Ana Márcia Sousa (marciasousa@ufc.br), reason: Milleani, Infelizmente esta submissão continua incompleta. Por favor, faça com o guia que lhe enviei em mãos, do jeito dos exemplos para não ter que refazer. Ainda falta verificar os campus: Autor (incompleto), orientador (incompleto), descrição (incompleto) Quanto a dissertação do aluno ainda falta corrigir o alinhamento da pág. de aprovação de acordo com o modelo da Normalização da UFC. Você precisa entrar em contato com o aluno e pedir pra ele fazer a substituição do arquivo errado pelo corrigido. Aguardo, Márcia on 2017-02-08T10:46:04Z (GMT) / Submitted by Programa de Pós-Graduação Engenharia Elétrica e de Computação (secretaria_ppgeec@sobral.ufc.br) on 2017-02-08T20:58:04Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2017_dis_dadesouza.pdf: 2711501 bytes, checksum: 89dae5f226ceb6e84f25e57c86aa358f (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Ana Márcia Sousa (marciasousa@ufc.br) on 2017-02-09T12:24:59Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 2017_dis_dadesouza.pdf: 2711501 bytes, checksum: 89dae5f226ceb6e84f25e57c86aa358f (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-02-09T12:24:59Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2017_dis_dadesouza.pdf: 2711501 bytes, checksum: 89dae5f226ceb6e84f25e57c86aa358f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-01 / This dissertation presents a proposal for the prediction and monitoring of batteries in UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles). The applicability of batteries for aeronautical purposes has become quite common due to several advantages over the propellant combustion. However, it is important to use PHM (Prognosis and Health Monitoring) techniques as applied to UAV's equipment, where the Battery Remaining Useful Life (RUL) is supposed to be assessed in this case. This information can be used to aid decision-making on which missions must be assigned to the UAV before the next recharge. This paper presents the algorithms of the Extended Kalman Filter and Particle Filter for predicting Remaining Useful Life of Lithium Polymer (Li-Po) and Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) batteries, which are commonly used in UAVs. The proposed method uses data sets containing the profile of the voltage across the battery over time, where discharge is performed with constant current, current containing white noise, and random current. Several distinct current levels are considered, as an experimental workbench is developed for the test and generation of data sets used in this work. A database provided by NASA is also used for this purpose. The obtained results show that the introduced methodology present good considering the evaluated databases. / Este trabalho apresenta uma proposta para predição e monitoramento de baterias em VANTs (Veículos Aéreos Não Tripulados). A usabilidade de baterias para fins aeronáuticos tem se tornado bastante comum devido a diversas vantagens em relação a propulsores a combustão. Contudo, é importante o uso de técnicas de PMS (Prognóstico e Monitoramento de Saúde) de equipamentos do VANT, sendo que nesse caso deve ser avaliada a Vida Útil Remanescente (RUL- Remaining Useful Life) da bateria. Essa informação pode ser usada para auxiliar à tomada de decisão sobre quais missões são atribuídas ao VANT antes da próxima recarga. O presente trabalho apresenta o algoritmo do Filtro de Kalman Estendido e Filtro de Partículas para predição da Vida Útil Remanescente de baterias de Polímeros de Lítio (Li-Po) e Íons de Lítio (Li-Íon), em que estas são comumente usadas em VANTs. A metodologia proposta utiliza séries de dados contendo a evolução da tensão nos terminais da bateria ao longo do tempo, considerando que a descarga é feita com corrente constante, corrente com ruído branco e corrente aleatória. Diferentes níveis de corrente são considerados, de modo que uma bancada experimental foi desenvolvida para a realização de ensaios e geração das séries de dados usadas neste trabalho. Também foi empregada uma base de dados disponibilizada pela NASA. Os resultados demonstram que a metodologia proposta fornece bons resultados considerando as bases de dados testadas.

NMR spectroscopy of paramagnetic solids provides detailed information about the local configuration and the chemical environment of the NMR observed center, as well as about the structural, magnetic and electronic properties of the coordianted paramagnetic centres. In the case of complex paramagnetic solids such as cathode materials for (rechargeable) batteries, NMR represents an invaluable tool to provide insight into the structural and electronic properties of the systems, which are at the base of the electrochemical performance of these materials. However, the paramagnetism makes the interpretation of the NMR data very challenging. This is primarily due to the interactions of the unpaired electrons with the NMR observed nucleus, and the interpretation of the NMR spectra often requires the aid of reliable theoretical and computational methods. Often the dominant interaction contributing to the measured isotropic shifts is the hyperfine interaction between the unpaired electrons and the observed nucleus, which results from the transfer of unpaired electrons from the paramagnetic centre(s) to the NMR observed site. In systems such as the ones studied here, in which the paramagnetic ions are a major constituent of the lattice, the multitide of different local environments results in a complex distribution of resonances. As in the case of the Li$_x$V$_6$O$_{13}$ cathode material, a methodical investigation of the configurational stability from first principles gives insight into the preferred site configurations. The combination of experimental $^7$Li NMR spectra and hyperfine shift DFT calculations of the so-found stable Li environments allows to unravel the complex lithiation mechanism of this material. In the other case of the LiTi$_x$Mn$_{2-x}$O$_4$ cathode materials, the $^7$Li hyperfine shifts calculated from first principles for a variety of Li environments are combined in a lattice model which allows to assign the isotropic regions of the experimental $^7$Li NMR spectra, helping to resolve the complex cation ordering as a function of Mn/Ti content in the series. For paramagnetic centres with an unquenched orbital component of the electron magnetic moment(s), the spin-orbit coupling effects also contribute to the paramagnetic NMR shift and shift anisotropy. A first principles model is derived, which describes how spin-orbit coupling and the single-ion $g$-tensor are defined and calculated in periodic paramagnetic solids, and how they can be coupled with the hyperfine interaction to model their effects on the NMR spectrum. The method is applied to a series of olivine-type LiTMPO$_4$ cathode materials (with TM = Mn, Fe, Co, and Ni) and the respective $^7$Li and $^{31}$P NMR spectra are simulated and compared with the experiments. The other paramagnetic effect considered in this thesis involves the bulk magnetic susceptibility (BMS), which is particularly important for paramagnetic single crystals and solids of complex shape. The BMS effect results from the discontinuity of the bulk susceptibility at the surface of the crystal, inducing a demagnetizing field throughout the sample which changes the measured NMR shift and shift anisotropy. A method to analytically calculate the demagnetising field and the BMS shift in crystals of different shapes is derived, and it is applied to a series of LiFePO$_4$ single crystals for which the $^7$Li NMR spectra are also measured experimentally. The study confirms that, particularly for $^7$Li NMR, the macroscopic shape-dependent BMS shift can indeed be a significant contribution to the measured resonances, determining the large variation in shift measured for the crystals of different shapes.

L'objectif de cette thèse est l’étude de la charge rapide de batteries lithium-ion basée sur la méthode de la compensation chute ohmique. Cette méthode permet théoriquement de réduire le temps total de charge des batteries. Dans cette thèse, cette méthode a été mise en œuvre sur trois types différents de cellules de format 18650 : C/ FP, C/NMC et LTO/LFP. Cette méthode montre de bons résultats pour les batteries C/LFP et LTO/LFP avec une réduction du temps de charge total d'environ 70% par rapport à la méthode classique. Néanmoins, cette méthode présente des inconvénients comme notamment l’élévation de la température interne de la batterie pendant la charge rapide. De plus, cette méthode implique un courant élevé et conduit à des potentiels élevés qui peuvent engendrer également des dégradations. En particulier, nous avons démontré que la batterie C / LFP subissait des dégradations internes notamment une déformation mécanique de l’enroulement et une dégradation de la composition d’électrolyte. / The aim of this thesis is to study fast-charging of lithium-ion, battery using the ohmic-drop compensation method. The latter method theoretically will reduce the total charging of the batteries considered. In this thesis, the ODC method was implemented on three different types of 18650 battery cells. These batteries are C/LFP, C/NMC and LTO/LFP. This method show a good result for C/LFP and LTO/LFP batteries with a reduction of total charging time of about 70% in comparison with the classical method. Nevertheless, there are some issues regarding this method; the temperature elevation of the battery is high during fast-charging. Indeed, almost all fast-charging procedure experiences the same problem concerning that matter. Moreover, with ODC fast-charging method, high current rate and high voltage will worsen the situation. These complications of the ODC fast-charging method are key points for both performance and durability of the batteries. Particularly, we have demonstrated that C/LFP battery underwent internal degradation as a mechanical deformation of the active materials and degradation of electrolyte.

The electrolyte is a crucial part of any lithium battery, strongly affecting longevity and safety. It has to survive rather severe conditions, not the least at the electrode/electrolyte interfaces. Current commercial electrolytes based on 1 M LiPF 6 in a mixture of organic solvents balance the requirements on conductivity and electrochemical stability, but they are volatile and degrade when operated at temperatures above ca. 70°C. The salt could potentially be replaced with e.g. LiTFSI, but corrosion of the aluminium current collector is an issue. Replacing the graphite negative electrode by Li metal for large gains in energy density challenges the electrolyte further by exposing it to freshly deposited Li, leading to poor coulombic efficiency (CE) and consumption of both Li and electrolyte. Highly concentrated electrolytes (up to > 4 M) have emerged as a possible remedy, by a changed solvation structure such that all solvent molecules are coordinated to cations – leading to a lowered volatility and melting point, an increased charge carrier density and electrochemical stability, but a higher viscosity and a lower ionic conductivity. Here two approaches to highly concentrated electrolytes are evaluated. First, LiTFSI and acetonitrile electrolytes with respect to increased electrochemical stability and in particular the passivating solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) on the anode is studied using electrochemical techniques and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Second, lowering the liquidus temperature by high salt concentration is utilized to create an electrolyte solely of LiTFSI and ethylene carbonate, tested for application in Li metal batteries by characterizing the morphology of plated Li using scanning electron microscopy and the CE by galvanostatic polarization. While the first approach shows dramatic improvements, the inherent weaknesses cannot be completely avoided, the second approach provides some promising cycling results for Li metal based cells. This points towards further investigations of the SEI, and possibly long-term safe cycling of Li metal anodes. / Elektrolyten är en fundamental del av ett litiumbatteri som starkt påverkar livslängden och säkerheten. Den måste utstå svåra förhållanden, inte minst vid gränsytan mot elektroderna. Dagens kommersiella elektrolyter är baserade på 1 M LiPF 6 i en blandning av organiska lösningsmedel. De balanserar kraven på elektrokemisk stabilitet och jonledningsförmåga, men de är lättflyktiga och bryts ned när de används vid temperaturer över ca. 70°C. Saltet skulle kunna bytas ut mot t.ex. LiTFSI, vilket ökar värmetåligheten avsevärt, men istället uppstår problem med korrosion på den strömsamlare av aluminium som används för katoden. Genom att byta ut grafitanoden i ett Li-jonbatteri mot en folie av litiummetall kan man öka energitätheten, men då litium pläteras bildas ständigt nya Li-ytor som kan reagera med elektrolyten. Detta leder till en låg coulombisk effektivitet genom nedbrytning av både Li och elektrolyt. Högkoncentrerade elektrolyter har en mycket hög saltkoncentration, ofta över 4 M, och har lags fram som en möjlig lösning på många av de problem som plågar denna och nästa generations batterier. Dessa elektrolyter har en annorlunda lösningsstruktur, sådan att alla lösningsmedelsmolekyler koordinerar till katjoner – vilket leder till att de blir mindre lättflyktiga, får en ökad täthet av laddningsbärare, och en ökad elektrokemisk stabilitet. Samtidigt får de en högre viskositet och lägre jonledningsförmåga. Här har två angreppssätt för högkoncentrerade elektrolyter utvärderats. I det första har acetonitril, som har begränsad elektrokemisk stabilitet och ett högt ångtryck, blandats med LiTFSI för en uppsättning av elektrolyter med varierande koncentration. Dessa har testats i Li-jonbatterier och i synnerhet den passiverande ytan på grafitelektroder har undersökts med både röntgen-fotoelektronspektroskopi (XPS) och elektrokemiska metoder. En markant förbättring av den elektrokemiska stabiliteten observeras, men de inneboende bristerna hos elektrolyten kan inte kompenseras fullständigt, vilket skapar tvivel på hur väl detta kan fungera i en kommersiell cell. Med det andra angreppssättet har hög saltkoncentration nyttjats för sänka smältpunkten för en elektrolyt baserad på etylenkarbonat, som annars inte kan används som enda lösningsmedel. Dessa elektrolyter har testats för användning i Limetall-batterier genom långtidstest, mätning av den coulombiska effektiviteten och analys av deponerade Li-ytor med svepelektronmikroskop. Resultaten är lovande, med över 250 cykler på 0.5 mAh/cm2 och en effektivitet på över 94%, men framförallt observeras en mycket jämnare deponerad Li-yta, vilket kan möjliggöra säker cykling av Li-metall-batterier. Ett logiskt nästa steg är studier av Liytan med t.ex. XPS för att utröna vad som skiljer den från ytan som bildats i en 1 M referenselektrolyt.

The aim of this thesis is to investigate pyroborates, M2B2O5, and orthoborates, M3(BO3)2, where M = Mg, Mn, Co, Ni, as high capacity and high voltage Li- and Mg-ion cathode materials. We explore the layered orthoborates (M3(BO3)2 which, to our knowledge, have not been previously considered as Li- or Mg-ion cathodes, perhaps due to the lack of Li analogues. Structural analysis shows that mixed metal orthoborates form a solid solution, with cation order driven by the presence of directional d orbitals. Electrochemical studies show that Mg can be removed from the structure and replaced with Li in a 1:1 ion ratio. In the compound Mg2Mn(BO3)2 removal of 1 Mg is achieved giving a capacity of 209.9 mAh g 1. The pyroborates (M2B2O5) are an unexplored family of borate polyanions, which offer higher theoretical capacities and voltages than LiMBO3 due to their more condensed frameworks. There are no known Li containing pyroborates, we use electrochemical ion exchange, with the aim of replacing each Mg with 2 Li to form LixMB2O¬5. The stoichiometry can be varied to alter the redox couple utilised and the Mg available for removal. MgxM2-xB2O5 has been synthesised for M = Mn, Co, Fe and Ni and all forms have been shown to form a solid solution with cation ordering over the two M sites. In MgMnB2O5 we have shown that Mg can be fully removed while retaining the pyroborate structure. Subsequently up to 1.1 Li can be inserted giving discharge capacities of 240 mAhg-1 above 1.5 V. After 100’s of cycles 2 Li can be reversibly cycled. The insertion of Li has been confirmed by 7Li NMR and the oxidation state changes in Mn have been investigated by SQUID magnetometry and XANES spectroscopy. Electrochemical studies in materials where M = Fe, Co, and Ni show high voltage plateaus ( > 3.5 V) but limited capacity at room temperature. Increased temperatures improves cycling, with Co and Fe based compounds reaching full theoretical capacities ( > 200 mAhg-1). As Mg can be removed from the structure, the pyroborates could be of interest in Mg-ion batteries, which offer benefits in energy density, cost, and safety. Mg-ion battery research is still in its infancy, therefore here we develop methods to reliably test Mg-ion cathodes and electrolytes. We demonstrate that despite significant side reactions, Mg can be reversibly cycled in the MgMnB2O5 system in a full Mg-ion cell, showing that pyroborates are a promising family of materials for high capacity, high voltage Mg-ion cathodes. This study shows that the pyroborates and orthoborates are a promising family of materials for Li- and Mg-ion cathodes, with the light weight structure leading to high specific capacities. The ability to replace Mg for Li in polyanion materials without disrupting the crystal structure opens a new way to search for novel, high energy density, Li-ion cathodes.

Over the last century, almost all of the carbon materials developed for the energy industry are derived from fossil fuels. The growing global concerns about energy needs, fossil fuels consumption, and the related environmental issues have motived scientists to find new, green and sustainable energy resources such as the wind, solar and biomass energy. Essentially, biomass-derived materials can be utilized in energy storage and conversion devices such as Li-ion batteries, fuel cells, and supercapacitors. Among the biomass resources, lignin is a high volume byproduct from the pulp and paper industry and is currently burned to generate electricity and steam. The pulp and paper industry has been searching for high value-added uses of lignin to improve its overall process economics. The importance of manufacturing valuable materials from lignin is, discussed in Chapter 2, demonstrating the need for a facile, green and scalable approach to synthesize bio-char and porous carbon for use in Li-ion batteries. From this context, lignin is first carbonized in water at 300 °C and 103 bar to produce bio-char, which is then graphitized using a metal nitrate catalyst at 900-1100 °C in an inert gas at 1 bar. Graphitization effectiveness of three different catalysts, iron, cobalt and manganese nitrates was examined. The obtained materials were analyzed for morphology, thermal stability, surface properties, and electrical conductivity. Both annealing temperature and the catalyst affects the degree of graphitization. High-quality graphitization is obtained by using Mn(NO3)2 at 900 °C or Co(NO3)2 catalysts at 1100 °C. Research on various energy storage materials for supercapacitors has grown rapidly in the recent years. Various advanced materials have been shown as a promising candidate for future’s high-energy supercapacitor electrodes. For a material in a supercapacitor electrode to be considered, it must show promising results for its specific power and energy density, electrical conductivity, surface properties, durability, surface area and pore-size distribution in order to design and develop high-performance supercapacitor devices. The industrial applications of supercapacitors have not been satisfied due to the low energy density (the commercially available supercapacitors have between 5 to 10 times less energy density than that of batteries) and moderate charge-discharge rate of supercapacitor electrode. Thus, chapter 3 was aimed to design and synthesize nitrogen-doped carbon materials that show the characteristic of high-energy and high-power density supercapacitor electrodes with a long cycle life. With this aim, organosol lignin was successfully converted into N-doped carbon materials using a two-step conversion process. The nitrogen content in the carbon was up to 5.6 wt.%. The synthesize materials exhibit high surface area up to 2957 m2/g with micro/meso porosity and a sheet-like structure. The N-doped carbon produced at 850 oC exhibited a high capacitance value of 440 F g-1 at a 1 mV s-1 scan rate and demonstrated excellent cyclic stability over 30,000 cycles in 1 M KOH. In addition, the NC-850 delivers a high energy density of 15.3 W h kg-1 and power density of 55.1 W kg−1 at 1 mV s-1. Therefore, this study suggests that N-doped carbon materials synthesized from a pulp and paper byproduct, lignin, are promising environmentally-sustainable candidates for supercapacitor applications. Challenges for commercialization of fuel cells include high operation cost, inadequate operational stability, and poisoning by H2O2. To address the challenge, costly Pt-based catalysts are needed in order to facilitate the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) at the cathode and the hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) at the anode. In chapter 4, alternative metal-free ORR catalyst materials derived from lignin are studied in order to simultaneously enhance the catalytic activity, lessen the Pt dependency and reduce the excessive costs associated. Calcium sulfonate lignin was successfully converted into sulfur self-doped carbons via in-situ hydrothermal carbonization and followed by post-annealing treatment. The sulfur content in the as-prepared porous carbons is up to 3.2 wt.%. The resulting materials displayed high surface areas (up to 660 m2 g-1) with micro/meso porosity and graphitic/amorphous carbon structure. The as-prepared sulfur self-doped electrode materials (SC-850) were tested as a potential cathodic material for ORR. The number of electrons transferred per molecule was measured to be ~ 3.4 at 0.8 V, which approaches the optimum 4 electron pathway. Additionally, S-doped materials were also applied as a supercapacitor electrode material. The SC-850 electrode exhibited a high specific and volumetric capacitance values of 225 F g-1 and 300 F cm-3 at a scan rate of 0.5 A g-1. The SC-850 electrode also exhibited consistent response over 10,000 cycles at harsh conditions. It was shown that the metal-free SC-850 is a promising electrode material for supercapacitors and ORR applications. All of the studies presented in this dissertation involve the development and application of carbon-based materials derived from lignin and its application towards the Li-ion batteries, supercapacitor, and fuel cell. Insight into the applicability of lignin-derived carbon materials towards electrochemical applications is made readily available, supplemented by detailed physical, chemical and electrochemical characterization, to examine the specific factors influencing the Li-ion batteries, supercapacitor, and electrocatalysis of fuel cell activity.