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Solid-state polymer electrolytes (SSPEs) are promising materials for Li-ion batteries due to their enhanced safety features, which are crucial for preventing short circuits and explosions, replacing traditional liquid electrolytes with solid electrolytes are increasingly important to improve battery reliability and lifespan. There are essentially three-types of solid-state electrolytes such as solid polymer electrolyte, composite based polymer electrolyte and gel-based polymer electrolyte are largely used in battery applications. Additionally, battery separators must have high ionic conductivity and porosity to boost safety and performance. Durable solid composites electrolytes with excellent thermal and mechanical properties are key to reducing the risk of lithium dendrite growth, thereby improving overall battery efficiency. Despite their potential, challenges like scalability, cost and real-world performance optimizations still need to be addressed., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

A facile, sustainable, operationally simple and mild method for the synthesis of SiO 2 @Au-Ag nanocomposites (NCs) using Nephrolepis cordifolia tuber extract is described and its catalytic, antibacterial and cytotoxic properties were investigated. The fabricated SiO 2 @Au-Ag NCs were well characterized by UV-visible spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to determine the optical activity, size and morphology, elemental composition, functional groups present, crystallinity, thermal stability and chemical state respectively. The obtained SiO 2 @Au-Ag NCs exhibited spherical shape SiO 2 decorated with Au and Ag nanoparticles. The diameter of the SiO 2 nanoparticles ranges from 200-246 with average 3 nm diameter of Au and Ag NPs. Synthetic utility of this protocol has been demonstrated by exploring its effective catalytic activities for the solvent-free amidation of carboxylic acid with a primary amine with excellent yields. Moreover, the synthesized nanocomposite exhibited as noticeable antibacterial effect against Gram negative and Gram positive bacteria and better bio-compatibility against human keratinocytes. Thus, additive free SiO 2 @Au-Ag NCs display the potential for catalysis and biomedical applications., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)