Executive Summary : | Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are widely used in various applications, including miniaturized portable devices and high-power-driven electric vehicles. However, current LIB technology is limited in energy density, making it crucial to find green, low-cost, and high-capacity electrode materials for developing environmentally friendly electrochemical energy storage (EES) devices for future electric-power-supported devices. Carbon materials are ideal due to their non-toxicity, renewability, low cost, and high electrical conductivity. Dual carbon batteries (DCBs) have gained attention due to their use of only carbon as both electrodes. However, technical challenges such as self-discharge, poor safety, and insufficient energy density limit their practicality. To develop a cost-effective EES device, newer carbon materials with high surface area and pore structures, along with a facile synthesis process, are needed. The electrolyte, a significant part of the DCB, requires suitable combinations of salt and solvent for further performance enhancement. The researchers aim to develop carbon from low-cost precursors, candle soot carbon (CSC), and resorcinol formaldehyde xerogel-derived hard carbon (RFC) along with suitable salt and solvent combinations as electrolytes. CSC with ordered nanostructures and a large surface area can be efficiently used as an electrode source, and RF xerogel derived hard carbon with disordered structures can improve storage capacity.
Operating voltage window, salt concentration, and solvent ratios in electrolytes is also a focus to develop high-performing DCBs. The system will be scaled up for high energy usage using pouch cell assembly. |