Electrochemical, structural, and physical properties of the sodium Chevrel phases NaxMo6X8−yIy (X = S, Se and y = 0 to 2)

Reversible Electrochemical Anionic Redox in Rechargeable Multivalent-Ion Batteries

Rechargeable multivalent-ion batteries are of significant interest due to the high specific capacities and earth abundance of their metal anodes, though few cathode materials permit multivalent ions to electrochemically intercalate within them. The crystalline chevrel phases are among the few cathode materials known to reversibly intercalate multivalent cations. However, to date, no multivalent-ion intercalation electrodes can match their reversibility and stability, in part due to the lack of design rules that guide how ion intercalation and electron charge transfer are coupled up from the atomic scale. Here, we elucidate the electronic charge storage mechanism that occurs in chevrel phase (Mo₆Se₈, Mo₆S₈) electrodes upon the electrochemical intercalation of multivalent cations (Al³⁺, Zn²⁺), using solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, synchrotron X-ray absorption near edge structure measurements, operando synchrotron diffraction, and density functional theory calculations. Upon cation intercalation, electrons are transferred selectively to the anionic chalcogen framework, while the transition metal octahedra are redox inactive. This reversible electrochemical anionic redox, which occurs without breaking or forming chemical bonds, is a fundamentally different charge storage mechanism than that occurring in most transition metal-containing intercalation electrodes using anionic redox to enhance energy density. The results suggest material design principles aimed at realizing new intercalation electrodes that enable the facile electrochemical intercalation of multivalent cations.

Iodine Vapor Transport-Triggered Preferential Growth of Chevrel Mo6S8 Nanosheets for Advanced Multivalent Batteries

Owing to its unique structure, Chevrel phase (CP) is a promising candidate for applications in rechargeable multivalent (Mg and Al) batteries. However, its wide applications are severely limited by time-consuming and complex synthesis processes, accompanied by uncontrollable growth and large particle sizes, which will magnify the charge trapping effect and lower the electrochemical performance. Here, an iodine vapor transport reaction (IVT) is proposed to obtain large-scale and highly pure Mo₆S₈ nanosheets, in which iodine helps to regulate the growth kinetics and induce the preferential growth of Mo₆S₈, as a typical three-dimensional material, to form nanosheets. When applied in rechargeable multivalent (Mg and Al) batteries, Mo₆S₈ nanosheets show very fast kinetics owing to the short diffusion distance, thereby exhibiting lower polarization, higher capacities, and better low-temperature performance (up to -40 °C) compared to that of microparticles obtained via the conventional method. It is anticipated that Mo₆S₈ nanosheets would boost the application of Chevrel phase, especially in areas of energy storage and catalysis, and the IVT reaction would be generalized to a wide range of inorganic compound nanosheets.

Charge Distribution on S and Intercluster Bond Evolution in Mo6S8 during the Electrochemical Insertion of Small Cations Studied by X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy

Mo₆S₈ is regarded as a promising cathode material in rechargeable Mg batteries. Despite extensive studies, some fundamental questions are still unclarified, including the origination of the chemical stability, key factors inducing the structural evolution, and the factors determining the electrochemical reversibility. Herein Mo L_2,3 and S K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy are utilized to uncover the underlying mechanism. Two kinds of S with different effective charge are found, indicating the nonuniform charge distribution. With one cation inserted, the charge distribution becomes homogeneous, relevant to the chemical stability and electrochemical reversibility. The structural evolution is attributed to the change of bond length induced by the delocalization of inserted cations. Moreover, the evolution of intercluster Mo-Mo bond length can be revealed by the drastic change of the S K pre-edge and is closely related to the electrochemical reversibility. This study can shed light on the aforementioned questions and guide the development of Mg cathode material.

Long Cycle Life All-Solid-State Sodium Ion Battery

All-solid-state sodium ion batteries (ASIBs) based on sulfide electrolytes are considered a promising candidate for large-scale energy storage. However, the limited cycle life of ASIBs largely restricts their practical application. Cycling-stable ASIBs can be achieved only if the designed cathode can simultaneously address challenges including insufficient interfacial contact, electrochemical and chemical instability between the electrode and electrolyte, and strain/stress during operation , rather than just addressing one or part of these challenges. Chevrel phase Mo₆S₈ has inherent high electronic conductivity and small volume change during sodiation/desodiation, and is chemically and electrochemically stable with the sulfide electrolyte, and therefore the only challenge of using Mo₆S₈ as the cathode for ASIBs is the insufficient contact between Mo₆S₈ and the solid electrolyte (SE). Herein, a thin layer of SE is coated on Mo₆S₈ using a solution method to achieve an intimate contact between Mo₆S₈ and the SE. Such a SE-coated Mo₆S₈ cathode enabled an ASIB with a high cycling performance (500 cycles), even much better than that of the liquid-electrolyte batteries with the Mo₆S₈ cathode. This work provides valuable insights for developing long-cycle life ASIBs.

Chevrel Phase Mo6 T8 (T = S, Se) as Electrodes for Advanced Energy Storage

With the large-scale applications of electric vehicles in recent years, future batteries are required to be higher in power and possess higher energy densities, be more environmental friendly, and have longer cycling life, lower cost, and greater safety than current batteries. Therefore, to develop alternative electrode materials for advanced batteries is an important research direction. Recently, the Chevrel phase Mo₆ T₈ (T = S, Se) has attracted increasing attention as electrode candidate for advanced batteries, including monovalent (e.g., lithium and sodium) and multivalent (e.g., magnesium, zinc and aluminum) ion batteries. Benefiting from its unique open crystal structure, the Chevrel phase Mo₆ T₈ cannot only ensure rapid ion transport, but also retain the structure stability during electrochemical reactions. Although the history of the research on Mo₆ T₈ as electrodes for advanced batteries is short, there has been significant progress on the design and fabrication of Mo₆ T₈ for various advanced batteries as above mentioned. An overview of the recent progress on Mo₆ T₈ electrodes applied in advanced batteries is provided, including synthesis methods and diverse structures for Mo₆ T₈ , and electrochemical mechanism and performance of Mo₆ T₈ . Additionally, a briefly conclusion on the significant progress, obvious drawbacks, emerging challenges and some perspectives on the research of Mo₆ T₈ for advanced batteries in the near future is provided.

On the Mechanism of Triclinic Distortion in Chevrel Phase as Probed by In-Situ Neutron Diffraction

This work presents, for the first time, a general mechanism of a rhombohedral (R)-triclinic (T) phase transition in Chevrel Phases (CPs) with small cations (radius<1 A), which was unclear in spite of intensive studies of these important materials in the past. In contrast to previous interpretation of the R<-->T transition in some CPs as cation ordering, T-distortion is regarded here as a particular case of general adaptation of the framework to cation insertion, which includes the deformations of the coordination polyhedra and their tilting. The research is based on a combination of experimental studies (in-situ neutron diffraction at different temperatures) for one model compound, MgMo6Se8, and structural analysis for a variety of known CPs. This analysis shows that the structure flexibility is fundamentally different for the R and T forms. As a result of the lower flexibility, in the R form, a strict correlation exists between the compression of the framework along the -3 symmetry axis and the cation position in the structure (the so-called 'delocalization'). The decreasing delocalization in the R-CPs, which occurs on cooling, leads to excessive repulsion within the cations pairs (R-Cu1.8Mo6S8 case) or undesirable asymmetry in the cation polyhedra (R-MgMo6Se8 case). The higher flexibility of the T framework allows for relaxation of these structural strains by increasing the cation-cation distances and forming a more symmetric cation environment, sometimes with higher coordination number (CN), like CN=5 in the T-Fe2Mo6S8 type. Thus, this work also proposes possible driving forces for T-distortion in CPs.

Synthesis and crystal and electronic structures of the Na2(Sc4Nb2)(Nb6O12)3 octahedral niobium cluster oxide. Structural correlations between AnBM6L12(Z) series and Chevrel Phases

We report here the synthesis and crystal and electronic structures of the Na(2)(Sc(4)Nb(2))(Nb(6)O(12))(3) niobium oxide whose structure is related to that of Ti(2)Nb(6)O(12). It constitutes a new member of the larger A(n)()BM(6)L(12)(Z) families (A = monovalent cation located in tetrahedral cavities of units, B = monovalent or trivalent cations located in octahedral cavities of units, M = rare earth, Zr, or Nb, Z = interstitial except for M = Nb). The structural relationships between the A(n)BM(6)L(12)(Z) series (M(6)L(i)(12)L(a)(6) unit-based compounds with a M(6)L(i)(6)L(i-a)(6/2)L(a-i)(6/2) cluster framework) and Chevrel Phases (M(6)L(i)(8)L(a)(6) unit-based compounds with a M(6)L(i)(2)L(i-a)(6/2)L(a-i)(6/2) cluster framework) are shown in terms of M(6)L(18) and M(6)L(14) unit packing. Despite a topology similar to that encountered in Chevrel Phases, intercalation properties are not expected in the Nb(6)O(i)(6)O(i-a)(6/2)O(a-i)(6/2) cluster framework-based compounds. Finally, it is shown, from theoretical LMTO calculations, that a semiconducting behavior is expected for a maximum VEC of 14 in the Nb(6)O(i)(6)O(i-a)(6/2)O(a-i)(6/2) cluster framework.