Preparation of silica/carbon composite from rice husk and its electrochemical pro ertives as anode material in Li-ion batteries

Rice husk is a common agricultural waste and an abundant source in Viet Nam. In terms of composition, rice husk is a silica-rich material (SiO2) so it can be used to prepare negative electrode materials for rechargeable Li-ion batteries. Recent processes of synthesizing the silica materials for the rechargeable batteries are often complex, expensive, and energy-intensive. In this study, KOH was used to treat rice husk ash to obtain SiO2/C porous composite materials. X-ray diffraction results (XRD) showed that the diffraction peak between 22o and 23o (2q ) was characterized of SiO2 material, and the other peaks around 43-44o was featured of carbon material. Scanning electron microscope image (SEM) showed the porous structure with the pore size 3-5 mm.Besides, the amorphous structure with coverage layers was also confirmed through the Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) images. Preliminary electrochemical results demonstratedthat Li-ion coin cell using the SiO2/C anode material exhibited a high capacity of 1200 mAh/g at a discharge current of 1.0 A/g and maintained 1000 mAh/g after 100 cycles. SiO2/C materials prepared from rice husks were highly promising for battery application thanks to their low cost, stable performance, environmental friendliness, and easy expansion for production scale.