Hierarchical CoSe2/TiN/nitrogen-doped carbon nanofibers wrapped with carbon nanotubes: A binder-free anode for enhanced sodium-ion storage

Abstract

Transition metal chalcogenide anodes have attracted significant attention for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) owing to their relatively high theoretical capacity. However, the inherently poor electronic conductivity and rate performance hinder their practical application. In this study, hierarchically structured CoSe2/TiN/nitrogen-doped carbon nanofibers wrapped with in-situ grown carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on the surface (denoted as CoSe2@N-TCF/CNTs) are designed and fabricated as binder-free anodes for SIBs. The rational design can effectively avoid the agglomeration of CoSe2 nanoparticles, improve the conductivity of the composite materials, provide enough space for electrolyte penetration and volume expansion during the cycling process and shorten the transmission paths of electrons and Na+. With these structural and compositional advantages, the as-obtained hierarchical CoSe2@N-TCF/CNTs deliver a high reversible capacity of 401.2 mAh g−1 after 1000 cycles at 0.2 A g−1 and maintained at 353.7 mAh g−1 even at a high current density of 2 A g−1 when directly used as a binder-free anode for SIBs. The superior sodium-ion storage performance can be attributed to the decreased charge transfer resistance, improved Na+ diffusion rate and the pseudocapacitance behavior, as is evidenced by kinetics analysis.