Enhancement of Electrical Conductivity of Laterite Derived Ferric Oxide to Facilitate As Anode Materials

Abstract

Laterite is a mineral abundant in ferric oxide and various impurities, including aluminum oxide and silicon dioxide. The extraction of ferric oxide from laterite is accomplished through a cost-effective leaching process employing HCl, NaOH, and Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). Characterization using Xray diffraction (XRD) confirmed the synthesized particles to be α-Hematite nano particles, with an average particle size of 94.21 nm, predominantly falling within the range of 90 nm to 100 nm, as observed through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images. Motivated by the high theoretical capacity of ferric oxide with a 1007 mA h g-1 capacity in comparison to commercially available graphite anodes with a 372 mA h g-1 capacity, this study investigates its potential as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries. However, the low electrical conductivity of ferric oxide at room temperature was determined to be 1.38×10-8 S cm-1 , necessitating improvements for effective utilization in battery applications. To enhance electrical conductivity, carbon black was incorporated into the anode material at a 10% ratio, resulting in an increased electrical conductivity of 1.46×10-4 S cm-1 . Furthermore, the Sodium dodecyl sulfate controls particle size of ferric oxide and achieves uniformity to address volume expansion associated with anode materials. CV curves indicates that the ferric oxide anode exhibits a higher capacity than the conventional graphite anode in first three cycles. This research provides valuable insights into the development of nanostructured ferric oxide from laterite, showcasing its potential as a high-capacity anode material for lithium-ion batteries, and highlighting the importance of electrical conductivity and particle size for enhanced electrochemical performance.