Carbon‐anchored Sb nanoparticles as high‐capacity and stable anode for aqueous alkaline batteries

Abstract

Antimony (Sb) holds a high theoretic capacity and suitable redox potential as a promising anode for aqueous alkaline batteries (AABs). However, the uncontrollable nucleation for SbO2− and promiscuous water‐induced side reactions severely degrade the reversibility of Sb anode. Herein, the carbon‐anchored Sb nanoparticles are constructed to induce uniform Sb plating/stripping for high‐performance AABs. The experimental results reveal that the enhanced interaction between carbon and antimony as well as defective carbon can significantly improve the electrical conductivity and decrease the Sb nucleation overpotential. Accordingly, the as‐prepared Sb anode enables preferential plating of Sb rather than parasitic side reactions. As a result, the cycle life of A‐Sb/CF is sustained over 500 cycles at 10 mA cm−2/2 mAh cm−2. Even at the high capacity of 4 mAh cm−2, this anode can cycle stably for 225 cycles, which is significantly better than the Sb/CF counterpart. Furthermore, the assembled Ni3S2@Ni(OH)2//A‐Sb/CF full battery demonstrates a high capacity of 2.17 mAh cm−2 and a stable cycle life of over 500 cycles.

Carbon material with high pyridine/graphite nitrogen content: an efficient electrocatalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction

“…The evolution of society and industry has underscored the imperative of advancing green and sustainable energy initiatives, becoming a pivotal focus in both corporate development and scientific research. 1–4 Zn–air batteries have garnered significant interest, attributed to their superior performance, absence of pollution, cost-efficiency, and eco-friendliness. 5–9 While smaller Zn–air batteries have been integrated into portable devices such as hearing aids and navigation lights, 10–12 they predominantly rely on the noble metal, Pt, to facilitate the otherwise sluggish cathodic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR).…”