Synchronous Engineering of Crystalline-Amorphous Heterointerfaces and Anionic Doping in Copper Telluride Nanotubes...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Energy Storage

Background:

• Rocking-chair aqueous Zn-ion batteries (AZIBs) are promising for large-scale energy storage.
• Developing advanced anode materials remains a significant challenge for AZIBs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize novel Cu7(Te0.74Se0.26)4 nanotubes as an anode material for AZIBs.
• To investigate the electrochemical performance and mechanism of the new anode material.
• To explore the impact of crystalline-amorphous heterointerfaces and anionic doping on battery performance.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of Cu7(Te0.74Se0.26)4 nanotubes using a telluride selenium precursor.
• Electrochemical testing including specific discharge capacity, rate capability, and long-term cycling stability.
• Ex situ characterization measurements to investigate the conversion-type mechanism.
• Theoretical calculations to understand the role of interface engineering and doping.

Main Results:

• The synthesized Cu7(Te0.74Se0.26)4 nanotubes exhibit high electrical conductivity, strong Zn2+ adsorption, fast ion diffusion, and structural stability.
• The anode demonstrated remarkable specific discharge capacity, outstanding rate capability, and 86.6% capacity retention over 15,000 cycles at 5 A g-1.
• A full battery (Cu7(Te0.74Se0.26)4//CNT@MnO2) showed satisfactory electrochemical performance.
• Theoretical calculations confirmed that interface engineering and Se doping enhance conductivity, Zn2+ adsorption, and reduce migration barriers.

Conclusions:

• Cu7(Te0.74Se0.26)4 nanotubes represent a high-performance anode material for rocking-chair AZIBs.
• Simultaneous interface engineering and anionic doping provide an effective strategy for designing advanced anode materials.
• This work offers innovative insights for developing next-generation energy storage devices.