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Selenium (Se) is a promising cathode material for rechargeable lithium batteries due to its prominent volumetric capacity and relatively high electrical conductivity. However, designing a sustainable and cost-effective porous carbon as Se host in the cathode with appealing electrochemical performance is a challenge. Herein, a hierarchically porous carbon was synthesized from soybean in a carbonization/activation process and used to develop the selenium cathode material for lithium-selenium (Li-Se) batteries. The effect of activation temperature (500, 600, and 700 °C) on the porous structure of the activated carbons was investigated and correlated to the electrochemical performance of their carbon/selenium (C/Se) cathode composite in Li-Se batteries with a carbonate-based electrolyte. It was revealed that the specific surface area and pore volume of the porous carbon increased with elevating the activation …