Abstract
Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) are promising alternatives to lithium-based energy storage devices for large-scale applications, but conventional lithium-ion battery anode materials do not provide adequate reversible Na-ion storage. In contrast, conversion-based transition metal sulfides have high theoretical capacities and are suitable anode materials for SIBs. Iron sulfide (FeS) is environmentally benign and inexpensive but suffers from low conductivity and sluggish Na-ion diffusion kinetics. In addition, significant volume changes during the sodiation of FeS destroy the electrode structure and shorten the cycle life. Herein, we report the rational design of the FeS/carbon composite, specifically FeS encapsulated within a hierarchically ordered mesoporous carbon prepared via nanocasting using a SBA-15 template with stable cycle life. We evaluated the Na-ion storage properties and found that the parallel 2D mesoporous channels in the resultant FeS/carbon composite enhanced the conductivity, buffered the volume changes, and prevented unwanted side reactions. Further, high-rate Na-ion storage (363.4 mAh g−1 after 500 cycles at 2 A g−1, 132.5 mAh g−1 at 20 A g−1) was achieved, better than that of the bare FeS electrode, indicating the benefit of structural confinement for rapid ion transfer, and demonstrating the excellent electrochemical performance of this anode material at high rates.
Highlights
The commercialization of lithium-ion battery (LIB) technology has led to the development of electric vehicles and portable electronic devices, inadequate global lithium resources have limited further advancements in the energy storage sector [1]
Conventional LIB anode materials cannot undergo reversible sodiation reactions, resulting in inadequate capacities. Both the theoretical and experimental exploration of carbon materials, MXenes, and transition metal dichalcogenides as anode materials for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) demonstrate that the search for an ideal SIB anode is an ongoing challenge [3,4,5,6]
A simple aqueous chemical route was chosen for the synthesis of Ordered mesoporous carbon (OMC), utilizing aqueous chemical route was chosen for the synthesis of FeS embedded OMC, utilizing iron chloride, thiourea, and acid-treated f
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. During the sodiation of the conversion materials, significantly larger volume changes occur compared to the lithiation process, resulting in pronounced strain in the electrode, eventually shortening the cycle life To overcome these shortcomings, the rational design of the FeS/carbon composites that can deliver high-performance Na-ion storage is necessary. There are many methods to generate active material/OMC nanocomposites, including nanocasting [24,25], sonochemical synthesis [26,27], and hydrothermal-assisted growth [28,29] To date, such strategies have provided interesting results, enabling high-rate and stable cycling properties for alkali-ion-based energy storage [30]. The systematic evaluation of the Na-ion storage properties of the synthesized FeS incorporated OMCs (FeS@f -OMC) revealed a stable discharge capacity of 363 mAh g−1 after 500 cycles at 2 A g−1 and exhibited excellent highrate Na-ion storage (132.5 mAh g−1 at 20 A g−1 ), owing to the hierarchical mesoporous structure of the carbon host that supports the FeS active material
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