Device grade solid-state pouch and coin cell supercapacitors dual assembly using consumed battery waste to best
T Kedara Shivasharma1, Rajulal Sahu1, Mayur Thosare1
1Nano Materials and Device Laboratory, Department of Physics, Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology, South Ambazari Road, Nagpur, 440 010, M.S, India.
Scientific Reports
|August 5, 2025
Summary
Recycling spent battery waste into solid-state supercapacitors offers a sustainable solution for e-waste. This research developed prototype pouch and coin cells from manganese oxide-carbon-zinc oxide composite, demonstrating practical energy storage applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrochemistry
- Environmental Science
Background:
- Electronic waste (e-waste) poses significant environmental challenges due to rapid technological advancements and disposal of old devices.
- Sustainable and green methods are urgently needed to repurpose e-waste materials into valuable technologies.
- Spent dry cell batteries represent a substantial source of potentially reusable materials.
Purpose of the Study:
- To utilize extracted manganese oxide-carbon-zinc oxide (MCZ) composite from spent dry cell batteries as e-waste.
- To design and develop prototype device-grade solid-state supercapacitors (pouch and coin cells).
- To evaluate the electrochemical performance and practical applicability of the developed supercapacitors.
Main Methods:
- Extraction and characterization of Mn2O3-C-ZnO2 (MCZ) composite from spent dry cell batteries.
- Coating the extracted material onto stainless steel for electrochemical testing in a three-electrode configuration.
- Fabrication of symmetric solid-state supercapacitors using PVA-NaClO4 gel electrolyte in pouch and coin cell formats.
- Performance evaluation including specific capacitance, potential window, and energy/power density.
Main Results:
- The MCZ composite was successfully extracted and characterized.
- Prototype solid-state supercapacitors (pouch and coin cells) were fabricated.
- Pouch cells achieved a specific capacitance of 49.69 F g-1 at 5 mV s-1, and coin cells achieved 7.93 F g-1 at 25 mV s-1.
- The devices exhibited a potential window of 2 V and demonstrated practical applicability by powering a small fan and an LED panel (TRL-3).
Conclusions:
- Spent dry cell battery waste can be effectively recycled into functional solid-state supercapacitors.
- The developed liquid-free pouch and coin cell supercapacitors offer a sustainable and economical approach to e-waste management.
- This research highlights the potential for converting waste materials into energy storage devices with practical applications.
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