Diatom-frustule catalyst supported multiwalled carbon nanotubes: Scalable and cost-effective synthesis and stable anode for lithium-ion battery

• Published in: Materials science & engineering. B, Solid-state materials for advanced technology Vol. 261; p. 114695
• Main Authors: Garapati, Meenakshi Seshadhri, Vijaya Kumar Saroja, Ajay Piriya, Sundara, Ramaprabhu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Lausanne Elsevier B.V 01-11-2020; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: Acetylene; Anode effect; Anode material; Carbon; Catalyst support; Catalysts; Chemical vapor deposition; Diatom-frustule; Electrochemical analysis; Electrode materials; Energy storage; Liquefied petroleum gas; Lithium; Lithium-ion batteries; Lithium-ion battery; Mischmetal; Multi wall carbon nanotubes; Multiwalled carbon nanotubes; Nickel base alloys; Production methods; Rechargeable batteries; Multiwalled carbon nanotubes; Anode material; Liquefied petroleum gas; Diatom-frustule; Lithium-ion battery; Catalyst support
• ISSN: 0921-5107; 1873-4944
• DOI: 10.1016/j.mseb.2020.114695

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•Multiwalled carbon nanotubes have been prepared using Diatom-MmNi3 catalyst.•The presence of diatom results in larger diameter and high yield of carbon nanotubes.•DCNT-LPG as Li ion battery anode delivers a specific capacity of 1096 mAh g−1 and 2000 cycles.
Multiwalled carbon nanotubes have interesting electrochemical properties that can be utilized for the energy storage application. However, the practical application of multiwalled carbon nanotubes is limited by the current techniques to provide large scale production. So, the large scale production of multiwalled carbon nanotubes is obtained by catalytic chemical vapor deposition of acetylene/liquified petroleum gas on diatom supported Mischmetal based nickel alloy catalyst. The developed multiwalled carbon nanotubes are uniform in diameter and the method of production does not require any process of purification. The multiwalled carbon nanotubes along with the presence of diatom is used as the high capacity anode for the lithium-ion battery. The interaction of lithium ions with both multiwalled carbon nanotubes and diatom increases the specific capacity to 1090 mAh g−1 at 0.05 A g−1 with cyclic durability of 2000 cycles. This work demonstrates a scalable method for the production of multiwalled carbon nanotubes from a cost-effective catalyst with the benefit of utilizing it as a high capacity anode material for lithium-ion battery.