Murugesan Karuppaiah

A 1L-scale dynamic magnesiothermic reduction (DMR) of nonporous silica (1.8 μm in diameter) was conducted using a rotary reactor system to produce porous silicon (pSi) particles for lithium-ion battery (LIB) anodes. The effects of the NaCl (heat scavenger)-to-silica weight ratio (0.8, 3.0, 5.0, and 10.0) were systematically investigated in terms of (i) exothermic reduction heats (monitored in situ and estimated by enthalpy balance), (ii) porosity development in the resulting pSi particles, and (iii) electrochemical performance of the pSi/C composites, benchmarked against conventional silicon nanoparticles (SiNP, –1. It also demonstrated excellent rate capability, full-cell performance, and structural robustness, underscoring its potential as a high-capacity LIB anode material. These findings highlight the DMR of silica as a scalable and effective process for the mass production of porous silicon particles, offering a promising pathway for next-generation high-performance LIB anodes.

In this work, we design poly(4,4′‐diphenylether‐5,5′‐bibenzimidazole) (OPBI) as a promising electrolyte membrane for high‐performance flexible supercapacitors. The solid‐polymer electrolyte membrane is designed by immersing the OPBI membrane in phosphoric acid (H₃PO₄) and it was paired with polyaniline (PANI)‐treated multiwall carbon nanotubes (TMWCNTs) or poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene)‐poly (styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT: PSS) with TMWCNTs as the active electrode materials. Specifically, the PANI/TMWCNT‐based supercapacitor, integrated with the OPBI membrane electrolyte (OPBIME), demonstrated a high specific capacitance (Cs) of 519 F/g at a current density of 2.2 A/g. In contrast, a conventional cellulose‐PVA gel electrolyte yielded a reduced specific capacitance of 405 F/g under the same conditions. Further testing with PEDOT: PSS/TMWCNT electrodes and OPBIME resulted in a specific capacitance of 14 F/g at a current density of 0.5 A/g, along with excellent capacitance retention of 92% after 2000 cycles. Overall, these findings highlighted the dual role of OPBI membranes as both an electrolyte and a separator, significantly improving the performance of flexible supercapacitors. Their high ionic conductivity, electrochemical stability, and flexibility enable superior specific capacitance and long‐term cycling stability, positioning them as a promising electrolyte for next‐generation energy storage applications.