Red Phosphorus/Onion‐like Mesoporous Carbon Composite as High‐Performance Anode for Sodium‐Ion Battery

Abstract

Red phosphorus has been regarded as an attractive candidate for the anode of sodium‐ion batteries (NIBs) because it delivers a high theoretical capacity (2596 mAh g−1) at low potentials. However, the electrochemical performances of red P are still not satisfactory for viable applications mainly due to its intrinsic low conductivity and large volume swelling associated with sodiation reactions. Here, we develop onion‐like mesoporous carbon nanoparticles (OCNPs) to serve as conductive host for red P. The OCNPs can alleviate the large volume swelling of red P, and allow the fast electron and Na+ transport. The resulting P/OCNPs composite electrode achieves excellent rate performance of 1286.7 mAh g−1 at 2 C, and retained discharge capacity of 1057.5 mAh g−1 after 150 cycles at 0.5 C. The improved stability of the composite electrode is also confirmed by the structure integrity after the cycling test. Our work presents a feasible approach to address the challenges of red P for high‐capacity anode of NIBs.

The main problems and solutions in practical application of anode materials for sodium ion batteries and the latest research progress

“…is mainly used to improve the conductivity of the materials 36,38,44,51 . Alloy reactive materials accelerate alloy and Na + transport and solve volume expansion problems by alloying with other metals and compounding with carbon materials 55,57,64,69 . The conversion reaction type stabilizes the structure and improves the initial Coulomb efficiency by compounding with other materials 82,95,105 .…”

“…At the same time, the nanometerization of the particle size can better release the stress generated during the charging/discharging process and improve its electrochemical performance 38,67,88,127 . Common nanostructures include porous nanostructures, 19,20,64,73 nanotubes, 35 nanowires, 45 3D macroporous network systems, 34,39 cross‐linked carbon networks, 69 nanometers Sheets, 75 nanorods 55,91 and nano‐ellipsoids 91 . Among them, porous nanostructures are the most widely used.…”

“…Compounding with carbon can alleviate the above problems. Liang et al 64 developed a red phosphorus/onion‐like mesoporous carbon composite material. The special structure allows electrons and Na + to be quickly transported.…”

Phosphorus/Phosphide‐Based Materials for Alkali Metal‐Ion Batteries

“…The most extensively employed method is vaporization‐condensation strategy. [ 145 , 146 , 147 , 148 , 149 ] For instance, Li et al. confined nanoscale amorphous RP into N‐doped microporous carbon matrix (P@N‐MPC) derived from ZIF‐8 ( Figure 6 a ).…”

“…The most extensively employed method is vaporization-condensation strategy. [145][146][147][148][149] For instance, Li et al confined nanoscale amorphous RP into Ndoped microporous carbon matrix (P@N-MPC) derived from ZIF-8 (Figure 6a). [147] The structure established a highly conductive path and promoted electron/ion diffusion; RP restricted within nanoscale chamber alleviated the volume change during cycles; the porous structure ensured efficient contact of the electrolyte with RP.…”