A High-Capacity black Phosphorus-Graphite-Sn anode for Lithium-ion batteries

Abstract

The new nanomaterial black phosphorus (BP), with a two-dimensional folded layer structure, has been widely used in the field of electrochemical energy storage due to its high theoretical capacity of 2596 mAh/g. Sn is also one of the promising anode materials for lithium-ion batteries, which is inexpensive and non-toxic and has a theoretical capacity of 994 mAh/g. However, BP and Sn undergo huge volume expansion during cycling leading to rapid capacity decay. To solve this problem, we prepared high-performance nanostructured BP-graphite-Sn composites (BP/G/Sn) by ball-milling method. Among them, the homogeneous distribution of BP and Sn in the graphite substrate reflects the synergistic effect and enhances the electrical conductivity. In the lithium half-battery test, the BP/G/Sn anode has a high initial capacity of 2495.4 mAh/g at 0.15 A/g and maintains 2056 mAh/g after 50 cycles, and the capacity remains 598.6 mAh/g after 200 cycles at 2 A/g.