Study of ionic conduction, dielectric relaxation, optical and electrochemical properties of AgPO3/graphene glasses for magnesium battery applications

Developing suitable cathode material for alkali ion batteries is the most significant challenge facing commercialization. The effect of graphene nanoplatelets (GNP) on the physical and optical properties of AgPO3 glass is demonstrated. For the first time, AgPO3/Graphene glasses have been synthesized by melt-quenching method to assess the physical and the electrochemical performance as a cathode for a Magnesium ion battery. The complex impedance method determines bulk conductivity; the bulk conductivity increases with increasing temperature and graphene content. AgPO3_2 wt%GNP (sample 2) shows the optimum stoichiometric ratio with linear conductivity-temperature growth up to fast-ionic conductivity ∼ 1.79×10−2 (ohm. cm)−1 at 150 °C. The study of frequency dependence of both dielectric constant and dielectric loss have been explained based on ion hopping beside the ionic polarization mechanism. Optical properties such as the refractive index, optical energy gap, molar refractivity, molecular polarizability, dispersion, and oscillator energy of AgPO3 glass with different graphene nanoplatelets are investigated. The data reveal the lowest energy gap for the glass sample (AgPO3/2 wt%GNP). On the contrary, the values of refractive index, dispersion energy, molar refractivity and molecular polarizability are the highest for (AgPO3_2%wt%GNP) sample. The coin cell has been fabricated with the cell configuration Mg//electrolyte//AgPO3 and Mg//electrolyte//AgPO3_2 w%GNP. The cell with AgPO3_2 wt% GNP electrode has a high initial discharge capacity of ∼187 mAh/g compared with AgPO3 electrodes of ∼100 mAh/g.