Tin Anode for Sodium-Ion Batteries Using Natural Wood Fiber as a Mechanical Buffer and Electrolyte Reservoir

Abstract

Sodium (Na)-ion batteries offer an attractive option for low cost grid scale storage due to the abundance of Na. Tin (Sn) is touted as a high capacity anode for Na-ion batteries with a high theoretical capacity of 847 mAh/g, but it has several limitations such as large volume expansion with cycling, slow kinetics, and unstable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) formation. In this article, we demonstrate that an anode consisting of a Sn thin film deposited on a hierarchical wood fiber substrate simultaneously addresses all the challenges associated with Sn anodes. The soft nature of wood fibers effectively releases the mechanical stresses associated with the sodiation process, and the mesoporous structure functions as an electrolyte reservoir that allows for ion transport through the outer and inner surface of the fiber. These properties are confirmed experimentally and computationally. A stable cycling performance of 400 cycles with an initial capacity of 339 mAh/g is demonstrated; a significant improvement over other reported Sn nanostructures. The soft and mesoporous wood fiber substrate can be utilized as a new platform for low cost Na-ion batteries.

Metallic Sn‐Based Anode Materials: Application in High‐Performance Lithium‐Ion and Sodium‐Ion Batteries

“…Moreover, the intertwined 1D network structures can promote the charge‐transfer process and improve rate performance. Up to now, many 1D Sn‐based materials have been fabricated to be applied as anodes, such as 1D nanowires,19, 57, 59, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150, 151, 152, 153, 154, 155 1D nanotubes,156, 157, 158, 159, 160 and 1D nanoarrays,5, 161, 162, 163, 164, 165, 166, 167 etc.…”

“…The theoretical specific capacity of Sn reaches 994 mA h g −1 for LIBs according to Li 22 Sn 5 , and 847 mA h g −1 for SIBs according to Na 15 Sn 4 19, 20. However, the drastic volume changes during Li and Na ions insertion/extraction (260% for LIBs and 420% for SIBs) always bring irreconcilable inner stress, and result in a series of negative consequences: active material particles pulverize and lose electrical connection with the current collectors, the newly formed surfaces constantly consume the Li and Na sources by forming solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) film, aggregation of particles results in poor kinetics of the electrodes, etc 12.…”

MoS2/Graphene Composite Paper for Sodium-Ion Battery Electrodes

“…[19][20][21][22][23][24][25] For example, hard carbon prepared from pyrolyzed glucose, carbon black, and carbon microspheres have been shown to exhibit initial reversible capacities of 300 mAhg -1 , 200 mAhg -1 , and 285 mAhg -1 , respectively in a Na-ion cell. [15][16][17] More recently, another hard carbon material that could deliver a reversible capacity of more than 200 mAhg -1 over 100 cycles has been reported. 22,25 However, these studies were conducted on traditional anode architecture (prepared through slurry coating of active material on metallic current collector foil and the 3 capacities reported were with respect to the active material only), either at low cycling current rates or at elevated temperatures.…”

“…14 Novel nanostructured designs that can accommodate large volumetric strains need further exploration. [15][16][17][18] For carbon-based electrode materials, much of the emphasis has been on hard carbons due to large interlayer spacing and disordered structure. [19][20][21][22][23][24][25] For example, hard carbon prepared from pyrolyzed glucose, carbon black, and carbon microspheres have been shown to exhibit initial reversible capacities of 300 mAhg -1 , 200 mAhg -1 , and 285 mAhg -1 , respectively in a Na-ion cell.…”

Advanced High Energy Density Secondary Batteries with Multi‐Electron Reaction Materials

“…As an anode electrode, Sn is expected to react with sodium to form fully sodiated crystalline Na 15 Sn 4 , delivering a theoretical capacity of 847 mAh g −1 106. Furthermore, the redox potentials for the formation of Na‐Sn alloys are a few hundred mV lower than those of Li–Sn alloys.…”