Atomic Layer Coated Al_(2)O_(3) on Nitrogen Doped Vertical Graphene Nanosheets for High Performance Sodium Ion Batteries

Heteroatom doped graphene materials are considered as promising anode for high-performance sodium-ion batteries(SIBs).Defective and porous structure especially with large specific surface area is generally considered as a feasible strategy to boost reaction kinetics;however,the unwanted side reaction at the anode hinders the practical application of SIBs.In this work,a precisely controlled Al_(2)O_(3)coated nitrogen doped vertical graphene nanosheets(NVG)anode material has been proposed,which exhibits excellent sodium storage capacity and cycling stability.The ultrathin Al_(2)O_(3)coating on the NVG is considered to help construct an advantageous interface between electrode and electrolyte,both alleviating the electrolyte decomposition and enhancing sodium adsorption ability.As a result,the optimal Al_(2)O_(3)coated NVG materials delivers a high reversible capacity(835.0 mAh g^(-1))and superior cycling stability(retention of 92.3%after 5000 cycles).This work demonstrates a new way to design graphene-based anode materials for highperformance sodium-ion batteries.

Enabling High-Performance Sodium Battery Anodes by Complete Reduction of Graphene Oxide and Cooperative In-Situ Crystallization of Ultrafine SnO_(2)Nanocrystals

The main bottleneck against industrial utilization of sodium ion batteries(SIBs)is the lack of high-capacity electrodes to rival those of the benchmark lithium ion batteries(LIBs).Here in this work,we have developed an economical method for in situ fabrication of nanocomposites made of crystalline few-layer graphene sheets loaded with ultrafine SnO_(2)nanocrystals,using short exposure of microwave to xerogel of graphene oxide(GO)and tin tetrachloride containing minute catalyzing dispersoids of chemically reduced GO(RGO).The resultant nanocomposites(SnO_(2)@MWG)enabled significantly quickened redox processes as SIB anode,which led to remarkable full anode-specific capacity reaching 538 mAh g^(−1)at 0.05 A g^(−1)(about 1.45 times of the theoretical capacity of graphite for the LIB),in addition to outstanding rate performance over prolonged charge–discharge cycling.Anodes based on the optimized SnO_(2)@MWG delivered stable performance over 2000 cycles even at a high current density of 5 A g^(−1),and capacity retention of over 70.4%was maintained at a high areal loading of 3.4 mg cm^(−2),highly desirable for high energy density SIBs to rival the current benchmark LIBs.

Stable all-solid-state battery enabled with Li_(6.25)PS_(5.25)Cl_(0.75) as fast ion-conducting electrolyte

All-solid-state batteries(ASSB) with lithium anode have attracted ever-increasing attention towards developing safer batteries with high energy densities.While great advancement has been achieved in developing solid electrolytes(SE) with superb ionic conductivity rivalling that of the current liquid technology,it has yet been very difficult in their successful application to ASSBs with sustaining rate and cyclic performances.Here in this work,we have realized a stable ASSB using the Li_(6.25)PS_(5.25)Cl_(0.75) fast ionconducting electrolyte together with LiNbO_3 coated LiCoO_2 as cathode and lithium foil as the anode.The effective diffusion coefficient of Li-ions in the battery is higher than 10^(-12) cm~2 s^(-1),and the significantly enhanced electrochemical matching at the cathode-electrolyte interface was essential to enable long-term stability against high oxidation potential,with the LCO@LNO/Li_(6.25)PS_(5.25)Cl_(0.75)/Li battery to retain 74.12% capacity after 430 cycles at 100 μA cm-2 and 59.7% of capacity after 800 cycles at 50 μA cm^(-2),at a high charging cut-off voltage of 4.2 V.This demonstrates that the Li_(6.25)PS_(5.25)Cl_(0.75) can be an excellent electrolyte for the realization of stable ASSBs with high-voltage cathodes and metallic lithium as anode,once the electrochemical compatibility between cathode and electrolyte can be addressed with a suitable buffer coating.

Seamless Stitching of Redox Windows to Enable High-Voltage Resilient Solid Sodium Ion Batteries

While sulfide solid electrolytes such as Na_(11)Sn_(2)PS_(12)can allow fast transport of Na+ions,their utilization in solid sodium ion batteries is rather unsuccessful since they are not electrochemically compatible to both high-voltage cathodes and sodium metal anode.In this work,we devise an effective approach toward realizing solid sodium ion batteries,using the Na_(11)Sn_(2)PS_(12)electrolyte and slurry-coated NASICON-type Na_(3)MnTi(PO_(4))_(3)@C as high-voltage cathode,highly beneficial for low processing cost and high content/loading of active cathode matter.We report that through significantly improved integrity of electrolyte-cathode interface,such solid sodium ion batteries can deliver outstanding cycling and rate performance,with a charge voltage resilience up to 4.1 V,a high cathode discharge capacity of 128.7 mAh g^(-1)against the Na_(3)MnTi(PO_(4))_(3)@C in cathode is achieved at 0.05 C,and capacity retention ratio of 82%with a rate of 0.1 C is realized after prolonged cycling at room temperature.Besides,we demonstrate that such a solid sodium ion battery can even perform at a sub-zero Celsius temperature of-10℃,when the conventional control cell using liquid electrolyte completely fail to function.This work is to offer a dependable avenue in engineering next generation of safe solid ion batteries based on highly sustainable and much cheaper material resources.