Electrochemically Engineering Antimony Interspersed on Graphene toward Advanced Sodium-Storage Anodes

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Nanoengineered metal anodes offer high capacity for energy storage.
• Zero-dimensional nanoparticles enhance electrochemical properties in sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) due to increased active sites.
• Scalable preparation of high-performance metal electrode materials remains a challenge for practical SIB applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a tunable and scalable electrochemical method for preparing nanostructured antimony (Sb) anode materials.
• To investigate the formation and properties of Sb nanoparticles supported on graphene (Sb/Gr).
• To evaluate the electrochemical performance of Sb/Gr anodes in SIBs.

Main Methods:

• Electrochemical cathodic corrosion with surfactant introduction to prepare tunable nanostructured Sb.
• Uniform dispersion of Sb nanoparticles onto graphene support (Sb/Gr).
• In situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) to study reversible crystalline-phase evolution (Sb ⇋ NaSb ⇋ Na3Sb).

Main Results:

• Sb/Gr anodes exhibited a high initial capacity of 635.34 mAh g⁻¹.
• Excellent cycle stability with 507.2 mAh g⁻¹ retained after 150 cycles at 0.1 C.
• Superior rate performance with capacities of 473.41 mAh g⁻¹ at 2 C and 405.09 mAh g⁻¹ at 5 C, and 346.26 mAh g⁻¹ after 500 cycles at 2 C.

Conclusions:

• The electrochemical approach provides a scalable route for designing nanostructured metal anodes.
• Sb/Gr anodes demonstrate significant potential for high-performance sodium-ion batteries.
• The method overcomes agglomeration issues, leading to enhanced electrochemical properties and stability.