Sustainable, high power Li-metal battery with LiFePO4 and activated carbon from terpene-rich orange peel composite cathode

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2025

Authors

Karthika Pichaimuthu (Author) Other; B.S. Nishchith (Author) Other; Maria Helena Braga (Author) FEUP

Journal

Title: Journal of Energy Storage

Vol. 131

Publisher: Elsevier

Indexing

ISI Web of Science

Scopus - 0 Citations

Associated Projects

LAETA2023 - Programático - ET - Emerging Technologies - LAETA2023 - Programático - ET - Emerging Technologies

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-019-K8K

DOI: 10.1016/j.est.2025.117534

Abstract (EN): The rising demand for sustainable energy storage is driving the utilization of bio-waste materials as precursors for high-performance electrodes in lithium batteries. This study synthesizes activated conductive nanocarbon composites from terpene-rich orange peel (citrus bio-waste), incorporating Al¿O¿, AlPO¿, or SiO¿ to enhance the electrochemical performance of LiFePO¿ (LFP) batteries. The synthesized carbons are mixed with LFP to fabricate cathode composites. The carbon synthesized in graphite (LFP/OAG) exhibits a lower capacity of 71 mAh.g¿1 at a 2C rate with a subsequent 53 % efficiency over 1000 cycles. In contrast, carbon synthesized in alumina (LFP/OAA) achieves a capacity of 79 mAh.g¿1 with a 90 % efficiency under the same conditions culminating with 71 mAh.g¿1 at the 1000th cycle, demonstrating excellent cycling stability. Meanwhile, Morgan HT (ball-milled) carbon (LFP/OAMB) delivers the highest initial capacity of 97 mAh.g¿1 at a 2C rate with 85 % efficiency, albeit with slightly reduced thermodynamic stability. Defect-rich structures in alumina-containing nanoparticles of AlPO¿ and Morgan-derived carbons with nano-SiO¿ enhance both capacity and efficiency. Alumina provides superior stability, while Morgan HT leads to higher capacity. These results highlight the potential of orange peel-derived nanocarbon, in combination with an optimized synthesis and activation environment, to improve both stability and capacity in LFP-based batteries¿offering a sustainable solution for high-performance energy storage. Notably, while Li-ion batteries with graphite anodes and LFP cathodes typically endure 2000¿5000 cycles at a 2C rate, Li-metal//LFP cells are limited to 200¿500 cycles, with advanced designs potentially extending to 500¿1000 cycles. In this study, four different orange peel-derived carbon LFP composites successfully sustained 1000 cycles. The best-performing cathode, containing SiO¿, exhibited a capacity of 82 mAh.gactive¿1 at the 1000th cycle (2C rate) within a nominal voltage range of 3.0¿2.6 V, demonstrating an advanced, sustainable battery design that adds value to otherwise wasted orange peel. Furthermore, the role of nanoparticles in lithium battery efficiency was examined through simulations of LFP, AlPO¿, SiO¿, Al¿O¿, and graphite nanoparticles. The results indicate that nanoscale materials improve ionic and electrical conductivity while lowering open circuit voltage (OCV) and plateau equilibria. This endorses the effectiveness of a nanoparticle composite strategy utilizing non-active materials to enhance battery performance. © 2025 The Author(s)

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific