Engineering Rice Husk into a High-Performance Electrode Material through an Ecofriendly Process and Assessing Its Application for Lithium-Ion Sulfur Batteries

• Published in: ACS sustainable chemistry & engineering 2019-04, Vol.7 (8), p.7851-7861
• Main Authors: Huang, Sheng-Siang, Tung, Mai Thanh, Huynh, Chinh Dang, Hwang, Bing-Joe, Bieker, Peter Maria, Fang, Chia-Chen, Wu, Nae-Lih
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 2168-0485; 2168-0485
• DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.9b00092

High-capacity and cycle-stable SiO x /C composite anodes for Li-ion batteries (LIBs) were synthesized from rice husk (RH) using an ecofriendly, one-step pyrolysis process that takes full advantage of both the silica and organic components of RH. The process–property–performance relationship for this process was investigated. Pyrolysis of RH at a sufficiently high temperature (1000 °C) results in a C scaffold with a low surface area, high electronic conductivity, and embedded SiO x nanoparticles that are highly active toward lithiation, enabling high rate capability along with outstanding cycle stability for LIB applications. A SiO x /C anode delivering a specific capacity of 654 mAh g–1 and retaining 88% capacity (99.8% CE) after 1000 cycles was demonstrated. Higher capacities, up to 920 mAh g–1, can be achieved by adding a Si-containing polymer coating on RH prior to pyrolysis. The SiO x /C anodes demonstrated considerable promise for Li metal-free Li-ion sulfur batteries.