Journal of Sol-Gel Science and Technology
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10971-019-04980-x
ORIGINAL PAPER: SOL-GEL AND HYBRID MATERIALS FOR ENERGY,
ENVIRONMENT AND BUILDING APPLICATIONS
Sol-gel-assisted preparation of SiO
2
@Co
3
O
4
heterostructure from
laboratory glass waste as a potential anode for lithium-ion battery
Arul Prasath
1
●
Arumugam Selva Sharma
1
●
Perumal Elumalai
1
Received: 12 January 2019 / Accepted: 21 March 2019
© Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2019
Abstract
In this work, a simple sol–gel method was developed to incorporate Co
3
O
4
into glass waste-derived SiO
2
to generate a
heterostructured SiO
2
@Co
3
O
4
nanocomposite. Morphological analysis revealed the presence of tiny Co
3
O
4
grains embedded
on to the surface of the spherically shaped SiO
2
particles. The SiO
2
@Co
3
O
4
hetrostructure anode exhibited a reversible
capacity as high as 684 mA h g
-1
at 0.5 C. Even after 50 cycles, the anode material showed a remarkable Coulombic
efficiency of 99% with capacity retention as high as 75% (507 mA h g
-1
). The synergistic contribution resulting from the
alloying/conversion mechanisms associated with the SiO
2
@Co
3
O
4
resulted in enhanced electrochemical performance.
Graphical Abstract
Highlights
●
The SiO
2
@Co
3
O
4
composite was generated by a simple sol–gel method using laboratory glass wastes.
●
The SiO
2
@Co
3
O
4
anode delivered initial-discharge capacity of 1651 mA h g
-1
.
●
The synergistic effects of SiO
2
/Co
3
O
4
resulted in a remarkable Columbic efficiency of almost 100%.
Keywords Glass waste
●
SiO
2
@Co
3
O
4
nanocomposite
●
Sol–gel
●
Lithium-ion battery
●
Anode
1 Introduction
In recent years, there has been an indispensable need for the
development of alternative energy sources which would
partially or completely replace the utilization of conven-
tional fossil fuels, as the combustion of the fossil fuels leads
to adverse effects on the environmental ecosystem [1–3].
* Perumal Elumalai
elumalai.get@pondiuni.edu.in
drperumalelumalai@gmail.com
1
Electrochemical Energy and Sensors Lab, Department of Green
Energy Technology, Madanjeet School of Green Energy
Technologies, Pondicherry University, Puducherry 605014, India
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