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Nanomaterials-Based Electrodes For Lithium-Ion Batteries And Alcohol Fuel Cells, Lakshman K. Ventrapragada

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This dissertation describes my research on surfactant-free synthesis of nanomaterials with applications for alcohol fuel-cell electrodes, and design and fabrication of nanomaterials-based current collectors that improve the performance of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) by replacing existing current collectors.

Chapter 1 provides a background on the electroanalytical tools used in this research, and an introduction to fuel cells and LIBs.

Chapter 2 describes a novel synthesis method for fabricating gold-graphene composites by laser ablation of a gold strip in water. A well-known limitation in the fabrication of a metal-graphene composite is the use of surfactants that strongly adsorb on the metal surface …