Engineering Nanostructured Antimony-Based Anode Materials for Sodium Ion Batteries

Wen Luo,Yinuo Yan,Noura Zahir,Jingke Ren,Wencong Feng,Xingbao Chen

doi:10.3390/coatings11101233

Abstract

Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) are considered a potential alternative to lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) for energy storage due to their low cost and the large abundance of sodium resources. The search for new anode materials for SIBs has become a vital approach to satisfying the ever-growing demands for better performance with higher energy/power densities, improved safety and a longer cycle life. Recently, antimony (Sb) has been extensively researched as a promising candidate due to its high specific capacity through an alloying/dealloying process. In this review article, we will focus on different categories of the emerging Sb based anode materials with distinct sodium storage mechanisms including Sb, two-dimensional antimonene and antimony chalcogenide (Sb2S3 and Sb2Se3). For each part, we emphasize that the novel construction of an advanced nanostructured anode with unique structures could effectively improve sodium storage properties. We also highlight that sodium storage capability can be enhanced through designing advanced nanocomposite materials containing Sb based materials and other carbonaceous modification or metal supports. Moreover, the recent advances in operando/in-situ investigation of its sodium storage mechanism are also summarized. By providing such a systematic probe, we aim to stress the significance of novel nanostructures and advanced compositing that would contribute to enhanced sodium storage performance, thus making Sb based materials as promising anodes for next-generation high-performance SIBs.

Highlights

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have emerged as one of the most important dominant power sources for portable electronic devices, electrical vehicles (EVs) and largescale electrical grids
A new 2D layered monoelemental antimonene and its theoretical/experimental studies on energy storage are highlighted with regards to pure Sb anodes
In regard to Sb-based chalcogenides, beyond their sodium storage performance, their fantastic physicochemical properties/applications such as foldable flexibility, free-standing electrodes, enhanced charge transfer induced by semiconductor heterojunctions, in-situ TEM, operando synchrotron XRD and cryo-TEM studies, are emphasized in this review

Summary

Introduction

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have emerged as one of the most important dominant power sources for portable electronic devices, electrical vehicles (EVs) and largescale electrical grids. With the great concerns about limited lithium resources available on Earth, the next-generation rechargeable batteries are urgently needed to be based on another non-lithium source [1,2]. Sodium-ion batteries (SIB) have been becoming one potential viable alternative to LIBs, in view of their low cost, environmental benignity, and the natural abundance of sodium resources [3,4].

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