Red Seaweed Pulp as a Separator in Rechargeable Al-anode Battery

Abstract

The depletion of non-renewable energy resources, has simultaneously increased the demand for energy storage system like battery. Many efforts have been made to improve the performance of battery such as high concentration of electrolyte, high power density of electrodes and high ion selective separator or membrane. The application of a biomass-derived as a separator have emerged as tantalising alternatives to liquid and synthetic polymer electrolyte for battery. The motivation is clear because of the corrosive, hazardous and leakage of liquid electrolyte usage; non-biodegradable and insolubility of synthetic polymer electrolyte in certain solvents. Due to environmental concern and sustainability, red seaweed-pulp is a good candidate to be used as a separator for battery. The SEM image revealed that morphology of red seaweed consists of 20–30% solid material (endofibre), which consists of small, regular and hollow fibre. These characteristics enable the pulp to absorb and retain the wettability of electrolyte and contribute high ion conductivity of battery. In this study, novel battery, a separator made from red seaweed-pulp, is comprised of aluminium plate (anode), graphite plate (cathode), and sodium chloride (electrolytes) that have been developed. This red seaweed pulp-based battery has shown a very good electrochemical potential from 2.5 to 3.0 V, maximum capacity up to 6 mAh, and the charge-discharge can withstand up to 10 cycles. In summary, red seaweed pulp can be a potential material for energy storage system like battery.