Nano self-assembly of fluorophosphate cathode induced by surface energy evolution towards high-rate and stable sodium-ion batteries

In the field of materials science and engineering,controlling over shape and crystal orientation remains a tremendous challenge.Herein,we realize a nano self-assembly morphology adjustment of Na3V2(PO4)2F3(NVPF)material,based on surface energy evolution by partially replacing V3+with aliovalent Mn2+.Crystal growth direction and surface energy evolution,main factors in inducing the nano self-assembly of NVPF with different shapes and sizes,are revealed by high-resolution transmission electron microscope combined with density functional theory.Furthermore,NVPF with a two-dimensional nanosheet structure(NVPF-NS)exhibits the best rate capability with 68 mAh·g−1 of specific capacity at an ultrahigh rate of 20 C and cycle stability with 80.7%of capacity retention over 1,000 cycles at 1 C.More significantly,when matched with Se@reduced graphene oxide(rGO)anode,NVPF-NS//Se@rGO sodium-ion full cells display a remarkable long-term stability with a high capacity retention of 93.8%after 500 cycles at 0.5 C and−25°C.Consequently,experimental and theoretical calculation results manifest that NVPF-NS demonstrates such superior performances,which can be mainly due to its inherent crystal structure and preferential orientation growth of{001}facets.This work will promise insights into developing novel architectural design strategies for high-performance cathode materials in advanced sodium-ion batteries.