Issue

Vol. 13 (2021)

From Micropores to Ultra-micropores inside Hard Carbon: Toward Enhanced Capacity in Room-/Low-Temperature Sodium-Ion Storage

https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-020-00587-y
Jinlin Yang
Joint School of National University of Singapore and Tianjin University, International Campus of Tianjin University, Binhai New City, Fuzhou 350207, People’s Republic of China
Xiaowei Wang
Department of Chemistry, National University of Singapore, 3 Science Drive 3, Singapore 117543, Singapore
Wenrui Dai
Department of Chemistry, National University of Singapore, 3 Science Drive 3, Singapore 117543, Singapore
Xu Lian
Department of Chemistry, National University of Singapore, 3 Science Drive 3, Singapore 117543, Singapore
Xinhang Cui
National University of Singapore (Suzhou) Research Institute, 377 Lin Quan Street, Suzhou Industrial Park, Suzhou 215123, Jiangsu, China
Weichao Zhang
Nanoyang Group, State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, People’s Republic of China
Kexin Zhang
Beijing Key Laboratory for Theory and Technology of Advanced Battery Materials, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People’s Republic of China
Ming Lin
Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), Agency of Science, Technology, and Research (A*STAR), 3 Research Link, Singapore 117602, Singapore
Ruqiang Zou
Beijing Key Laboratory for Theory and Technology of Advanced Battery Materials, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People’s Republic of China
Kian Ping Loh
Department of Chemistry, National University of Singapore, 3 Science Drive 3, Singapore 117543, Singapore
Quan‑Hong Yang
Joint School of National University of Singapore and Tianjin University, International Campus of Tianjin University, Binhai New City, Fuzhou 350207, People’s Republic of China
Wei Chen
Joint School of National University of Singapore and Tianjin University, International Campus of Tianjin University, Binhai New City, Fuzhou 350207, People’s Republic of China

Corresponding Author: Wei Chen

phycw@nus.edu.sg

Nano-Micro Letters, Vol. 13 (2021), Article Number: 98

Abstract

Pore structure of hard carbon has a fundamental influence on the electrochemical properties in sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). Ultra-micropores (< 0.5 nm) of hard carbon can function as ionic sieves to reduce the diffusion of slovated Na+ but allow the entrance of naked Na+ into the pores, which can reduce the interficial contact between the electrolyte and the inner pores without sacrificing the fast diffusion kinetics. Herein, a molten diffusion–carbonization method is proposed to transform the micropores (> 1 nm) inside carbon into ultra-micropores (< 0.5 nm). Consequently, the designed carbon anode displays an enhanced capacity of 346 mAh g−1 at 30 mA g−1 with a high ICE value of ~ 80.6% and most of the capacity (~ 90%) is below 1 V. Moreover, the high-loading electrode (~ 19 mg cm−2) exhibits a good temperature endurance with a high areal capacity of 6.14 mAh cm−2 at 25 °C and 5.32 mAh cm−2 at − 20 °C. Based on the in situ X-ray diffraction and ex situ solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance results, the designed ultra-micropores provide the extra Na+ storage sites, which mainly contributes to the enhanced capacity. This proposed strategy shows a good potential for the development of high-performance SIBs.


Highlights:


1 Hard-carbon anode dominated with ultra-micropores (< 0.5 nm) was synthesized for sodium-ion batteries via a molten diffusion–carbonization method.
2 The ultra-micropores dominated carbon anode displays an enhanced capacity, which originates from the extra sodium-ion storage sites of the designed ultra-micropores.
3 The thick electrode (~ 19 mg cm−2) with a high areal capacity of 6.14 mAh cm−2 displays an ultrahigh cycling stability and an outstanding low-temperature performance.

Keywords

Carbon anode Ultra-micropores Extra sodium-ion storage sites Low-voltage capacity High areal capacity
Yang, Jinlin, Xiaowei Wang, Wenrui Dai, Xu Lian, Xinhang Cui, Weichao Zhang, Kexin Zhang, Ming Lin, Ruqiang Zou, Kian Ping Loh, Quan‑Hong Yang, and Wei Chen. 2021. “From Micropores to Ultra-Micropores Inside Hard Carbon: Toward Enhanced Capacity in Room-/Low-Temperature Sodium-Ion Storage”. Nano-Micro Letters 13 (March):98. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-020-00587-y.
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