High-performance supercapacitors from composites derived from recycled alkaline batteries.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Sustainable Chemistry

Background:

• Spent alkaline batteries represent a significant waste stream.
• Developing cost-effective and sustainable electrode materials for energy storage is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize carbon-manganese dioxide (MnO2) composites from recycled battery carbon.
• To evaluate the electrochemical performance of these composites as supercapacitor electrodes.
• To investigate the structural and electronic properties influencing performance.

Main Methods:

• Wet-chemical synthesis at room temperature.
• Characterization using XRD, Raman, FTIR, and SEM.
• Electrochemical testing (specific capacitance, cycling stability).
• Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations.

Main Results:

• Synthesized MnO2 composites with well-defined structures.
• Achieved a specific capacitance of 215.46 F/g for the 0.01 M MnO2 composite.
• Demonstrated high capacitance retention (91.3% after 2000 cycles), outperforming pristine carbon.
• DFT confirmed enhanced conductivity and lattice stability due to carbon-MnO2 interaction.

Conclusions:

• Recycled battery carbon can be effectively utilized to create high-performance supercapacitor materials.
• The developed composites offer a cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternative for energy storage.
• This approach contributes to battery recycling and sustainable materials development.