Battery-Grade Carbon Aerogels Derived from European Green Crab-Sourced Chitosan

Lightweight carbon aerogels are of increasing interest to aerospace and advanced manufacturing sectors due to their high porosity, tunable conductivity, and exceptional surface-to-volume ratios. This work presents a sustainable materials-processing pathway for producing carbon aerogels from chitosan extracted from the invasive European Green Crab (EGC), providing both a high-value materials stream and a circular-economy solution to a significant coastal environmental challenge. To demonstrate functional applicability, the carbon aerogels were incorporated into battery electrodes, where their porosity and conductivity enhanced electronic pathways and improved electrochemical performance. These results highlight the potential of EGC-derived chitosan as a scalable precursor for sustainable carbon aerogels tailored for high-performance energy and aerospace applications. The work underscores the integration of bio-derived feedstocks, advanced processing, and material circularity within next-generation materials engineering.