Facile fabrication of sheet-on-sheet hierarchical nanostructured Sb/C composite with boosting sodium storage

Antimony nanocrystals self-encapsulated within bio-oil derived carbon for ultra-stable sodium storage

Integrating carbon-coating and nanostructuring has been considered as the most promising strategy to accommodate the dramatic volume expansion represented by high-capacity antimony (Sb) upon sodiation. Suitable coating source and synthetic strategy that are both economical and strong are yet to be explored. In this regard, by using renewable bio-oil as carbon source and self-wrapping precursor, robust Sb@C composite anode with Sb nanoparticles homogeneously impregnated into the cross-linked 2D ultrathin carbon nanosheets is developed via a facile NaCl template-assisted self-assembly and followed carbothermal reduction method. Such judiciously crafted interconnected macroporous framework can mitigate of mechanical stress and alleviate the volume change of inner Sb, guaranteeing high-performance sodium-ion battery anode. At a current density of 0.1 A g^-1, ultrahigh reversible capacity of 520 mAh g^-1 can be achieved. Notably, a stable capacity of 391 mAh g^-1 is even retained after 500 cycles at 1 A g^-1. Such a facile and cost-effective synthetic method is promising for high-performance sodium-ion batteries.

Ultrahigh Rate Performance of Hollow Antimony Nanoparticles Impregnated in Open Carbon Boxes for Sodium-Ion Battery under Elevated Temperature

Antimony is a competitive and promising anode material for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) due to its high theoretical capacity. However, the poor rate capability and fast capacity fading greatly restrict its practical application. To address the above issues, a facile and eco-friendly sacrificial template method is developed to synthesize hollow Sb nanoparticles impregnated in open carbon boxes (Sb HPs@OCB). The as-obtained Sb HPs@OCB composite exhibits excellent sodium storage properties even when operated at an elevated temperature of 50 °C, delivering a robust rate capability of 345 mAh g^-1 at 16 A g^-1 and rendering an outstanding reversible capacity of 187 mAh g^-1 at a high rate of 10 A g^-1 after 300 cycles. Such superior electrochemical performance of the Sb HPs@OCB can be attributed to the comprehensive characteristics of improved kinetics derived from hollow Sb nanoparticles impregnated into 2D carbon nanowalls, the existence of robust SbOC bond, and enhanced pseudocapacitive behavior. All those factors enable Sb HPs@OCB great potential and distinct merit for large-scale energy storage of SIBs.