Property enhancement of graphite-based-battery

This study presents a comparative evaluation of graphite oxide (GO) and microwave-exfoliated graphite oxide (MEGO) as anode materials for sodium-ion batteries, with synthesized sodium manganese oxide (NaMnO₂) serving as the cathode. GO was prepared via a modified Hummers method, and MEGO was obtained by subjecting GO to microwave irradiation. Structural and morphological characterization was performed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and quantitative image analysis with ImageJ software. Morphological analysis revealed that GO exhibited enhanced surface area enhancement (88.8% increase) compared to raw graphite. Surface roughness analysis demonstrated progressive texture enhancement, with microwave treatment contributing 75% of total surface roughness improvement. Sodium manganese oxide (NaMnO₂) cathodes were synthesized using both analytical-grade and recovered MnO₂ from spent Zn-MnO₂ batteries. XRD analysis revealed that recovered MnO₂ unexpectedly demonstrated enhanced phase purity (83% identified phases) compared to analytical-grade material (43% identified phases). Electrochemical testing showed GO-based anodes delivered approximately twice the capacity (0.232 mAh) compared to MEGO anodes (0.107 mAh), with better voltage stability and discharge duration. The results demonstrate the feasibility of utilizing recycled battery materials for cathode synthesis while establishing GO as a more promising anode material than MEGO for sodium-ion battery applications.