‘Jelly to Joule’: Direct laser writing of sustainable jellyfish-based ‘graphenic silicon’ anodes for environmentally remediating high-performance lithium-ion batteries

Abstract

The ramifications of global climate change and resource scarcities have made it imperative to re-examine the definition of sustainable energy-storage systems. It is crucial to recognize that not all renewable resources are inherently sustainable, and their full impact on the environment must be assessed. With the proliferation of invasive jellyfish species wreaking havoc on marine ecosystems and economies worldwide, utilizing overabundant jellyfish as a carbon source presents an opportunity to create energy-storage systems that are both financially beneficial and environmentally remediating. Accordingly, a comprehensive approach to sustainability also requires eco-friendly solutions throughout the entire lifecycle, from material sourcing to battery production, without compromising high-performance requirements. Currently, most electrode syntheses for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) employed are energy-intensive, multiple-steps, complex, and additive-heavy. In response, this work pioneers the straightforward use of low-energy laser irradiation of a jellyfish biomass/silicon nanoparticle blend to encapsulate the silicon nanoparticles in-situ within the as-forming conductive carbonized matrix, creating sustainable and additive-free composite anodes. The self-standing anode is directly synthesized under ambient conditions and requires no post-processing. Here, a laser-synthesized conductive three-dimensional porous carbon/silicon composite anode from raw jellyfish biomass for LIBs is presented, displaying outstanding cyclic stability (>1000 cycles), excellent capacity retention (>50% retention after 1000 cycles), exceptional coulombic efficiency (>99%), superb reversible gravimetric capacity (>2000 mAh/g), and high rate performance capability (>1.6 A/g), paving a new path to future sustainable energy production.