Barley Husk as a Multifunctional Biomass Precursor for Silica/Carbon Composite Anodes in Rechargeable Lithium-ion and Sodium-ion Batteries

Fereydoonisefiddashti, Alireza (2026) Barley Husk as a Multifunctional Biomass Precursor for Silica/Carbon Composite Anodes in Rechargeable Lithium-ion and Sodium-ion Batteries. Doctoral thesis, University of East Anglia.

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Abstract

This thesis evaluates barley husk as a sustainable, multifunctional precursor for silica/carbon and silicon/carbon composite anodes for rechargeable lithium-ion and sodium-ion batteries. Barley husk, combining carbonaceous and silica-rich fractions within a single biomass feedstock, is converted using scalable thermal processing and low-complexity post-treatment. Processing-structure relationships are established using complementary characterisation, including X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, electron microscopy with elemental mapping, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and nitrogen sorption.

In lithium half-cells, an optimised barley-husk-derived silica/carbon composite delivers ~380 mAh g−1 at C/5 and retains 87.9% of its capacity after 400 cycles, with coulombic efficiency rising above 98% after the initial formation period. The initial Coulombic efficiency (~60%) is limited by irreversible lithium consumption associated with solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) formation and partial SiO2 conversion. Kinetic analysis indicates mixed storage with a predominantly surface-controlled contribution, consistent with fast charge transfer within a porous hard-carbon-like framework. Building on this platform, silicon nanoparticles are incorporated into the biomass-derived matrix to access alloying-driven capacity while retaining the mechanical buffering and interfacial stabilisation provided by the carbon network; a composition window is identified in which reversible capacity increases without compromising cycle stability. Feasibility is further demonstrated in a lithium-ion full cell paired with a layered oxide cathode, highlighting a route towards device-relevant architectures.

For sodium-ion batteries, barley-husk-derived hard carbon is tuned through carbonisation to control disorder, interlayer spacing, and nanopore population, enabling the characteristic sloping and low-voltage plateau contributions to sodium storage and providing practical guidance on balancing capacity, first-cycle irreversibility, and rate performance. Overall, the thesis provides an integrated processing-structure-electrochemistry framework and supports barley husk as a low-cost precursor for composite anodes across lithium-ion and sodium-ion chemistries

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Science > School of Chemistry, Pharmacy and Pharmacology
Depositing User:	Chris White
Date Deposited:	27 May 2026 13:32
Last Modified:	27 May 2026 13:32
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/103176
DOI:

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