By combining rice husk-derived nano-silica and reduced graphene oxide and then polymerizing PANI by in situ polymerization, we created polyaniline-coated rice husk-derived nano-silica@reduced graphene oxide composites with excellent electrochemical performance.

Nanostructured tin(tin oxide)/bronze-phase titanium dioxide (Sn(SnO2)/TiO2(B)) ultrafast-charging and good cycling stability materials have been intensively studied as potential electrode materials to improve battery performance. The Sn(SnO2)/TiO2(B) nanocomposites have been synthesized using a simple hydrothermal method and subsequent chemical technique. The unique phase hybridization of metallic Sn and SnO2 on the TiO2(B) nanorod surface enhances Li-ion storage performance throughout this nanocomposite design. Interestingly, the Sn(SnO2)/TiO2(B) electrode can operate effectively at high current density while sustaining an excellent rate capacity. Furthermore, this nanocomposite electrode also delivers a highly reversible specific capacity of 500 mAh g–1 at 100 mA g–1 and manifests a high Coulombic efficiency of around 98% after 50 cycles. Also, the Sn(SnO2)/TiO2(B) nanocomposite possessed excellent capacities of 188 mAh g–1 (at the rate of 10.0 A g–1) and 117 mAh g–1 (at the rate of 20.0 A g–1) after long-term cycling for 3000 cycles, indicating good cycling stability and ultrafast-charging characteristic. At ambient temperature, this electrode has a low transfer resistance of around 6.30 Ω and a high lithium-ion diffusion coefficient of roughly 5.05 × 10–13 cm2 s–1. This prepared electrode reveals the composite architecture, which contains the open continuous pseudocapacitive channels along its axis, allowing for fast lithium-ion diffusion and storage as well as effective mechanical support for the TiO2(B) nanorod, alleviating stress generated during discharge–charge cycling. Also, the generated stable SEI layer of this material can prevent the pulverization and separation of the Sn and SnO2 nanoparticles.Its superior properties of having a distinct structure, high storage capability, potential for ultrafast charging, safety in use, and good cycling stability indicate they can be promising and effective anode materials in better power batteries for next-generation applications.

This study investigates the influence of three fatty acids (lauric acid, palmitic acid, and stearic acid) on biodegradable polymer blends based on poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and poly(butylene succinate) (PBS), containing different weight ratios (100:0, 100:2, and 100:4) of fatty acids on the transparency, mechanical properties, morphology, contact angle, and water vapour permeability. All of the blends were pressed into thin films and tested. The experimental results showed that the properties of the samples varied with chain length and amounts of the fatty acids. Thus, it could be concluded that use of fatty acids opens up new ways for the plasticisation of PLA/PBS blends for use as new bioplastics.

The development of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) has become an important aspect of advanced technologies. Although LIBS have already outperformed other secondary batteries, they still require improvement in various aspects. Most crucially, graphite, the commercial anode, has a lower capacity than emerging materials. The goal of this research is to develop carbon-based materials from sustainable sources. Banana stem waste was employed as a precursor because of its xylem structure and large surface area. In addition, catalytic graphitization of biomass yields both graphitic carbon and metal oxides, which can be converted into higher-capacity Fe3O4/C nanocomposites. The nanocomposites consist of nanoparticles distributed on the surface of the carbon sheet. It was found that Fe3O4/C nanocomposites not only achieved a superior specific capacity (405.6 mAh/g at 0.1 A/g), but also had good stability in long-term cycling (1000 cycles). Interestingly, they had a significantly greater capacity than graphite at a high current density (2 A/g), 172.8 mAh/g compared to 63.9 mAh/g. For these reasons, the simple preparation approach, with its environmental friendliness and low cost, can be employed to produce Fe3O4/C nanocomposites with good electrochemical properties. Thus, this approach may be applicable to varied biomasses. These newly developed Fe3O4/C nanocomposites derived from banana waste recycling were found to be suitable to be used as anodes for sustainable LIBs.