Bi-functional iron embedded carbon nanostructures from collagen waste for photocatalysis and Li-ion battery applications: A waste to wealth approach

Abstract

Creation of functional materials, displaying diverse properties simultaneously, from bio-wastes is in great demand in various industries. Herein, we report the synthesis of bi-functional iron encapsulated carbon (Fe@C) nanoparticles from collagen bio-waste for energy and environmental remediation applications. A simple high-temperature treatment transformed highly insulating and paramagnetic collagen-FeCl3 scaffolds into perfectly conducting and ferromagnetic bi-functional Fe@C nanoparticles. The structural and morphological analysis reveals that different phases of Fe nanoparticles are embedded in the graphitized carbon matrix forming a core-shell type of nanostructures. The mesoporous nanoparticles showed an exceptional photocatalytic activity towards 100% degradation of methylene blue within 80 min of sunlight irradiation. We also demonstrate that the presence of Fe nanoparticles in graphitic carbon lattice enabled an outstanding Li+ storage property with large reversible specific capacity (∼384 mAh/g) after 75 cycles. Our results provide a cost-effective, scalable and sustainable approach for the synthesis of functional nanomaterials from industrial bio-waste for applications in energy and environmental remediation.