Bio-inspired synthesis of 3-D network of NiO-Ni nanowires on carbonized eggshell membrane for lithium-ion batteries

Eggshells & Eggshell Membranes- A Sustainable Resource for energy storage and energy conversion applications: A critical review

As the world strives to achieve a sustainable future, the exploration of alternative and renewable raw materials for energy storage and energy conversion has gained significant attention. A growing trend on "Waste to Energy" approach has attained prominence. Accordingly, chicken eggshells, a residual from poultry industry, have emerged as a promising candidate due to their abundant availability, low cost, and unique physical and chemical properties. This review article presents an overview of recent advancements in utilizing eggshell waste for energy storage and energy conversion applications. It discusses the transformation of eggshells usage into functional materials, along with their performance in various energy-related applications. The potential of eggshell-based materials in improving energy efficiency and reducing environmental impact is highlighted, providing insights into the future prospects of this sustainable resource.

Nickel-Ion Activating Discarded COVID-19 Medical Surgical Masks for Forming Carbon-Nickel Composite Nanowires and Using as a High-Performance Lithium Battery Anode

With the prevalence of COVID-19, wearing medical surgical masks has become a requisite measure to protect against the invasion of the virus. Therefore, a huge amount of discarded medical surgical masks will be produced, which will become a potential hazard to pollute the environment and endanger the health of organisms without our awareness. Herein, a green and cost-effective way for the reasonable disposal of waste masks becomes necessary. In this work, we realized the transformation from waste medical surgical masks into high-quality carbon-nickel composite nanowires, which not only benefit the protection of the environment and ecosystem but also contribute to the realization of economic value. The obtained composite carbon-based materials demonstrate 70 S m-1 conductivity, 5.2 nm average pore diameters, 234 m2 g-1 surface areas, and proper graphitization degree. As an anode material for lithium-ion batteries, the prepared carbon composite materials demonstrate a specific capacity of 420 mA h g-1 after 800 cycles at a current density of 0.2 A g-1. It also displays good rate performance and decent cycling stability. Therefore, this study provides an approach to converting the discarded medical surgical masks into high-quality carbon nanowire anode materials to turn waste into treasure.

Synthesis of nickel nanowires (Ni-NWs) as high ferromagnetic material by electrodeposition technique

Metallic nanowires (NWs) and their different compounds display incredible prospects for their use in various applications including media storage, sensor and solar cell devices along with the biological drug delivery systems. In this research work, the metallic NWs like nickel nanowires (Ni-NWs) are synthesized successfully by employing electrodeposition process. Anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) templates are employed as a platform with copper metal coating which acts as an active cathode. The synthesized Ni-NWs are examined through various characterization techniques including X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) to study the crystal structure, surface morphology and magnetic properties, respectively. The XRD analysis shows the development of various diffraction planes like Ni (111), Ni (200), Ni (220) which confirms the formation of polycrystalline nickel NWs. The SEM analysis reveals that the range of diameter and length of nickel NWs are found to be ∼160 to 200 and ∼4 to 11 micron respectively showing high aspect ratio (ranged from ∼200 to 300). The ferromagnetic behavior of Ni-NWs is confirmed by the hysteresis loop carried out for parallel and perpendicular configurations having Hc = 100 and 206 Oe, respectively. The obtained results suggest that the synthesized Ni- NWs may be used for high-density media storage devices.

A Review on Recent Advancements of Ni-NiO Nanocomposite as an Anode for High-Performance Lithium-Ion Battery

Recently, lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have been widely employed in automobiles, mining operations, space applications, marine vessels and submarines, and defense or military applications. As an anode, commercial carbon or carbon-based materials have some critical issues such as insufficient charge capacity and power density, low working voltage, deadweight formation, short-circuiting tendency initiated from dendrite formation, device warming up, etc., which have led to a search for carbon alternatives. Transition metal oxides (TMOs) such as NiO as an anode can be used as a substitute for carbon material. However, NiO has some limitations such as low coulombic efficiency, low cycle stability, and poor ionic conductivity. These limitations can be overcome through the use of different nanostructures. This present study reviews the integration of the electrochemical performance of binder involved nanocomposite of NiO as an anode of a LIB. This review article aims to epitomize the synthesis and characterization parameters such as specific discharge/charge capacity, cycle stability, rate performance, and cycle ability of a nanocomposite anode. An overview of possible future advances in NiO nanocomposites is also proposed.

Synthesis and electrochemical performance of hollow-structured NiO + Ni nanofibers wrapped by graphene as anodes for Li-ion batteries

Hollow-structured NiO + Ni nanofibers wrapped by graphene were designed and successfully fabricated via a simple method. First, solid NiO + Ni nanofibers were prepared by electrospinning followed by calcination. Here, a portion of the metallic Ni was retained to improve the electrochemical performance of NiO by adjusting the calcination temperature. Next, the nanofibers were thoroughly mixed with different amounts of graphene and calcinated once more to form hollow-structured NiO + Ni nanofibers with an extremely high specific surface via the reaction between graphene and NiO on the nanofiber surface and subsequent migration of NiO into the nanofibers. Results showed that the obtained hollow-structured NiO + Ni electrode demonstrates optimal electrochemical performance when the graphene content is controlled to 3 wt%. The first cycle discharge/charge specific capacity of the electrode peaked (1596/1181 mAh · g^-1) at 100 mA · g^-1, with a coulombic efficiency of approximately 74% (60% for 0 wt% graphene, 65% for 1 wt% graphene, and 51% for 4 wt% graphene). It also presented excellent cycling stability after 100 cycles at 100 mA · g^-1on account of its high retained discharge specific capacity (251 mAh · g^-1for 0 wt% graphene, 385 mAh · g^-1for 1 wt% graphene, 741 mAh · g^-1for 3 wt% graphene, and 367 mAh · g^-1for 4 wt% graphene). Moreover, the synthesized electrode possessed outstanding rate capability owing to its large average discharge specific capacity of approximately 546 mAh · g^-1(45 mAh · g^-1for 0 wt% graphene, 256 mAh · g^-1for 1 wt% graphene, and 174 mAh · g^-1for 4 wt% graphene) from 100 mA · g^-1to 2000 mA · g^-1. The observed improvement in electrochemical performance could be attributed to the increase in active sites and decrease in charge transport distance in the hollow-structured NiO + Ni nanofibers. Excessive introduction of graphene caused a sharp loss in electrochemical performance due to the agglomeration of graphene sheets on the nanofiber surfaces.

State-of-the-Art of Eggshell Waste in Materials Science: Recent Advances in Catalysis, Pharmaceutical Applications, and Mechanochemistry

Eggshell waste is among the most abundant waste materials coming from food processing technologies. Despite the unique properties that both its components (eggshell, ES, and eggshell membrane, ESM) possess, it is very often discarded without further use. This review article aims to summarize the recent reports utilizing eggshell waste for very diverse purposes, stressing the need to use a mechanochemical approach to broaden its applications. The most studied field with regards to the potential use of eggshell waste is catalysis. Upon proper treatment, it can be used for turning waste oils into biodiesel and moreover, the catalytic effect of eggshell-based material in organic synthesis is also very beneficial. In inorganic chemistry, the eggshell membrane is very often used as a templating agent for nanoparticles production. Such composites are suitable for application in photocatalysis. These bionanocomposites are also capable of heavy metal ions reduction and can be also used for the ozonation process. The eggshell and its membrane are applicable in electrochemistry as well. Due to the high protein content and the presence of functional groups on the surface, ESM can be easily converted to a high-performance electrode material. Finally, both ES and ESM are suitable for medical applications, as the former can be used as an inexpensive Ca2+ source for the development of medications, particles for drug delivery, organic matrix/mineral nanocomposites as potential tissue scaffolds, food supplements and the latter for the treatment of joint diseases, in reparative medicine and vascular graft producing. For the majority of the above-mentioned applications, the pretreatment of the eggshell waste is necessary. Among other options, the mechanochemical pretreatment has found an inevitable place. Since the publication of the last review paper devoted to the mechanochemical treatment of eggshell waste, a few new works have appeared, which are reviewed here to underline the sustainable character of the proposed methodology. The mechanochemical treatment of eggshell is capable of producing the nanoscale material which can be further used for bioceramics synthesis, dehalogenation processes, wastewater treatment, preparation of hydrophobic filters, lithium-ion batteries, dental materials, and in the building industry as cement.

Oxalate-derived porous prismatic nickel/nickel oxide nanocomposites toward lithium-ion battery

NiO is a highly appealing anode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) owing to its relatively high Li storage capacity. However, its low electrical conductivity and large volume change during the battery cycling process limit its application. Here, we fabricate a series of porous Ni/NiO (M) nanocomposites through the direct pyrolysis of a nickel oxalate precursor and adjust the Ni(0) content by varying the pyrolysis temperature. The porous architecture is beneficial for alleviating the volume expansion/constriction during cycling. The Ni in the composites accelerates the electrochemical reaction kinetics and enhances the conductivity of the electrode materials. The M-2 electrode with a 17.9% Ni(0) content realizes a high reversible capacity (633.7 mA h g^-1 after 100 cycles at 0.2 A g^-1) and exhibits outstanding rate capability (307.6 mA h g^-1 after 250 cycles at 1 A g^-1). This work can not only supply an approach to adjust the content of an element with specific valence state, but also provide an inspiration for the fabrication of porous metal/metal oxide anode materials in LIBs.