Heterogeneous Engineering Strategy Derived In Situ Carbon-Encased Nickel Selenides Enabling Superior LIBs/SIBs with...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Energy Storage

Background:

• Current lithium/sodium-ion batteries face challenges with limited reservoir capacity and thermal runaway hazards.
• Existing safety-enhancing materials like TiO2 and Li4Ti5O12 suffer from low theoretical capacities, compromising electrochemical performance.
• There is an urgent need for advanced anode materials that offer both improved safety and electrochemical properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and synthesize a novel metal-organic framework (MOF)-derived in situ carbon-coated metal selenide (Ni-Se@G@C) anode material.
• To evaluate the electrochemical performance and safety characteristics of the Ni-Se@G@C anode in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and sodium-ion batteries (SIBs).
• To demonstrate a new strategy for developing MOF-derived micro/nanostructures for advanced battery applications.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of a carbon-coated metal selenide (Ni-Se@G@C) anode material derived from a metal-organic framework (MOF).
• Electrochemical testing of the Ni-Se@G@C anode in LIBs and SIBs, including cycling performance, rate capability, and safety assessments (thermal runaway analysis).
• Comparative analysis of the Ni-Se@G@C anode against a graphite anode.

Main Results:

• LIBs utilizing the Ni-Se@G@C anode exhibited high initial capacities (993.2 mAh g-1 at 0.1-0.3 A g-1) and excellent cycling stability (1478.9 mAh g-1 after 800 cycles).
• The Ni-Se@G@C anode demonstrated superior rate performance (458.3 mAh g-1 at 2 A g-1 after 1500 cycles) and significantly enhanced battery safety, increasing self-heating and thermal runaway triggering temperatures.
• SIBs with the Ni-Se@G@C anode showed a high initial discharge capacity (624.9 mAh g-1) and retained 269.4 mAh g-1 after 200 cycles at 1 A g-1, with a 5.6 times higher activation energy (Ea) compared to graphite.

Conclusions:

• The MOF-derived Ni-Se@G@C anode material offers a promising solution for enhancing both electrochemical performance and safety in LIBs and SIBs.
• This work presents a viable pathway for utilizing MOF-derived materials to overcome the limitations of conventional battery anode materials.
• The developed Ni-Se@G@C anode provides a new paradigm for designing advanced micro/nanostructures for high-performance and safe energy storage devices.