Constructing heterostructures can endow materials with fascinating performance in high-speed electronics, optoelectronics, and other applications owing to the built-in charge-transfer driving force, which is of benefit to the specific charge-transfer kinetics. Rational design and controllable synthesis of nano-heterostructure anode materials with high-rate performance, however, still remains a great challenge. Herein, ultrafine SnS/SnO2 heterostructures were successfully fabricated and showed enhanced charge-transfer capability. The mobility enhancement is attributed to the interface effect of heterostructures, which induces an electric field within the nanocrystals, giving them much lower ion-diffusion resistance and facilitating interfacial electron transport.

Recent research progresses on high performance anode materials for high-energy sodium-ion batteries are comprehensively summarized.

Potassium-ion batteries (PIBs) are a promising alternative to lithium-ion batteries because potassium is an abundant natural resource. To date, PIBs are in the early stages of exploration and only a few anode materials have been investigated. This study reports a cobalt sulfide and graphene (CoS@G) composite as anode electrode for PIBs for the first time. The composite features interconnect quantum dots of CoS nanoclusters uniformly anchored on graphene nanosheets. The coexistence of CoS quantum dot nanoclusters and graphene nanosheets endows the composite with large surface area, highly conductive network, robust structural stability, and excellent electrochemical energy storage performance. An unprecedented capacity of 310.8 mA h g −1 at 500 mA g −1 is obtained after 100 cycles, with a rate capability better than an equivalent sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). This work provides the evidence that PIBs can be a promising alternative to SIBs, especially at high charge-discharge rates. The development of the CoS@G anode material also provides the basis of expanding the library of suitable anode materials for PIBs.

Ultrathin 2D materials can offer promising opportunities for exploring advanced energy storage systems, with satisfactory electrochemical performance. Engineering atomic interfaces by stacking 2D crystals holds huge potential for tuning material properties at the atomic level, owing to the strong layer-layer interactions, enabling unprecedented physical properties. In this work, atomically thin Bi MoO sheets are acquired that exhibit remarkable high-rate cycling performance in Li-ion batteries, which can be ascribed to the interlayer coupling effect, as well as the 2D configuration and intrinsic structural stability. The unbalanced charge distribution occurs within the crystal and induces built-in electric fields, significantly boosting lithium ion transfer dynamics, while the extra charge transport channels generated on the open surfaces further promote charge transport. The in situ synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction results confirm the material's excellent structural stability. This work provides some insights for designing high-performance electrode materials for energy storage by manipulating the interface interaction and electronic structure.

Sodium ion batteries (SIBs), a potential alternative to lithium ion batteries (LIBs), have attracted remarkable attention recently due to the abundant natural resources for their precursors and their low cost.[1-3] The requirement of feasible electrode materials with high sodium storage capacity and good cycling stability has promoted the exploration of various electrode materials for SIBs.

By scrutinizing the energy storage process in Li-ion batteries, tuning Li-ion migration behavior by atomic level tailoring will unlock great potential for pursuing higher electrochemical performance. Vacancy, which can effectively modulate the electrical ordering on the nanoscale, even in tiny concentrations, will provide tempting opportunities for manipulating Li-ion migratory behavior. Herein, taking CuGeO as a model, oxygen vacancies obtained by reducing the thickness dimension down to the atomic scale are introduced in this work. As the Li-ion storage progresses, the imbalanced charge distribution emerging around the oxygen vacancies could induce a local built-in electric field, which will accelerate the ions' migration rate by Coulomb forces and thus have benefits for high-rate performance. Furthermore, the thus-obtained CuGeO ultrathin nanosheets (CGOUNs)/graphene van der Waals heterojunctions are used as anodes in Li-ion batteries, which deliver a reversible specific capacity of 1295 mAh g at 100 mA g, with improved rate capability and cycling performance compared to their bulk counterpart. Our findings build a clear connection between the atomic/defect/electronic structure and intrinsic properties for designing high-efficiency electrode materials.

Two-dimensional (2D) nanostructures including 2D materials and composites containing 2D supports and active materials as sodium-ion battery anodes are reviewed.

Due to the abundant potassium resource on the Earth’s crust, researchers now have become interested in exploring high-performance potassium-ion batteries (KIBs). However, the large size of K+ would hinder the diffusion of K ions into electrode materials, thus leading to poor energy/power density and cycling performance during the depotassiation/potassiation process. So, few-layered V5S8 nanosheets wrapping a hollow carbon sphere fabricated via a facile hollow carbon template induced method could reversibly accommodate K storage and maintain the structure stability. Hence, the as-obtained V5S8@C electrode enables rapid and reversible storage of K+ with a high specific capacity of 645 mAh/g at 50 mA/g, a high rate capability, and long cycling stability, with 360 and 190 mAh/g achieved after 500 and 1000 cycles at 500 and 2000 mA/g, respectively. The excellent electrochemical performance is superior to the most existing electrode materials. The DFT calculations reveal that V5S8 nanosheets have high electrical conductivity and low energy barriers for K+ intercalation. Furthermore, the reaction mechanism of the V5S8@C electrode in KIBs is probed via the in operando synchrotron X-ray diffraction technique, and it indicates that the V5S8@C electrode undergoes a sequential intercalation (KV5S8) and conversion reactions (K2S3) reversibly during the potassiation process.