Insight into the Role of Conductive Polypyrrole Coated on Rice Husk-Derived Nanosilica-Reduced Graphene Oxide as the Anodes: Electrochemical Improvement in Sustainable Lithium-Ion Batteries

Biomass Waste Utilization as Nanocomposite Anodes through Conductive Polymers Strengthened SiO2/C from Streblus asper Leaves for Sustainable Energy Storages

Sustainable anode materials, including natural silica and biomass-derived carbon materials, are gaining increasing attention in emerging energy storage applications. In this research, we highlighted a silica/carbon (SiO2/C) derived from Streblus asper leaf wastes using a simple method. Dried Streblus asper leaves, which have plenty of biomass in Thailand, have a unique leaf texture due to their high SiO2 content. We can convert these worthless leaves into SiO2/C nanocomposites in one step, producing eco-materials with distinctive microstructures that influence electrochemical energy storage performance. Through nanostructured design, SiO2/C is thoroughly covered by a well-connected framework of conductive hybrid polymers based on the sodium alginate-polypyrrole (SA-PPy) network, exhibiting impressive morphology and performance. In addition, an excellent electrically conductive SA-PPy network binds to the SiO2/C particle surface through crosslinker bonding, creating a flexible porous space that effectively facilitates the SiO2 large volume expansion. At a current density of 0.3 C, this synthesized SA-PPy@Nano-SiO2/C anode provides a high specific capacity of 756 mAh g-1 over 350 cycles, accounting for 99.7% of the theoretical specific capacity. At the high current of 1 C (758 mA g-1), a superior sustained cycle life of over 500 cycles was evidenced, with over 93% capacity retention. The research also highlighted the potential for this approach to be scaled up for commercial production, which could have a significant impact on the sustainability of the lithium-ion battery industry. Overall, the development of green nanocomposites along with polymers having a distinctive structure is an exciting area of research that has the potential to address some of the key challenges associated with lithium-ion batteries, such as capacity degradation and safety concerns, while also promoting sustainability and reducing environmental impact.

Preparation and Properties of Gel Polymer Electrolytes with Li1.5Al0.5Ge1.5(PO4)3 and Li6.46La3Zr1.46Ta0.54O12 by UV Curing Process

Poly (vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP)-based gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs) are considered a promising electrolyte candidate for polymer lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) because of their free-standing shape, versatility, security, flexibility, lightweight, reliability, and so on. However, due to problems such as low ionic conductivity, PVDF-HFP can only be used on a small scale when used as a substrate alone. To overcome the above shortcomings, GPEs were designed and synthesized by a UV curing process by adding NASICON-type Li1.5Al0.5Ge1.5(PO4)3 (LAGP) and garnet-type Li6.46La3Zr1.46Ta0.54O12 (LLZTO) to PVDF-HFP. Experimentally, GPEs with 10% weight LLZTO in a PVDF-HFP matrix had an ionic conductivity of up to 3 × 10-4 S cm-1 at 25 °C. When assembled into LiFePO4/GPEs/Li batteries, a discharge-specific capacity of 81.5 mAh g-1 at a current density of 1 C and a capacity retention rate of 98.1% after 100 cycles at a current density of 0.2 C occurred. Therefore, GPEs added to LLZTO have a broad application prospect regarding rechargeable lithium-ion batteries.

Rice husk silica blended fillers for engine mount application

The functional properties of engine mounts largely depend on the rubber compound formulation. This study proposes the use of rice husk-derived silica (RHS) blended with carbon black (N772) as an effective and environmentally friendly substitute for fillers used in rubber engine mounts (REMs). CV-60 natural rubber was filled with the blended fillers at various ratios, and their compatibility for use as rubber engine mounts (REMs) was assessed. Grey Relational Analysis was utilised to determine the optimal blend loading levels for use in rubber engine mounts, resulting in 40 phr of N772 and 20 phr of RHS cured at 130 °C and 2.5 MPa for 20 min. The developed REMs and conventional REMs had low vibration data variation during the performance assessment. Their resonance transmissibility was 5.03 and 3.74, corresponding to natural frequencies of 24.27 Hz and 26.94 Hz, respectively. The RHS/N772 REMs had excellent damping characteristics and lower transmissibility in the isolation zone of the vibration isolation curve, which is outside of the resonant frequency region. The efficiency curves showed that the blended fillers are a better and more effective material for REMs at all frequencies, balancing static deflection and vibration isolation.