3 research outputs found
New Mechanistic Insights on Na-Ion Storage in Nongraphitizable Carbon
Nongraphitizable carbon, also known
as hard carbon, is considered one of the most promising anodes for
the emerging Na-ion batteries. The current mechanistic understanding
of Na-ion storage in hard carbon is based on the “card-house”
model first raised in the early 2000s. This model describes that Na-ion
insertion occurs first through intercalation between graphene sheets
in turbostratic nanodomains, followed by Na filling of the pores in
the carbon structure. We tried to test this model by tuning the sizes
of turbostratic nanodomains but revealed a correlation between the
structural defects and Na-ion storage. Based on our experimental data,
we propose an alternative perspective for sodiation of hard carbon
that consists of Na-ion storage at defect sites, by intercalation
and last via pore-filling
Synthesis and Systematic Trends in Structure and Electrical Properties of [(SnSe)<sub>1.15</sub>]<sub><i>m</i></sub>(VSe<sub>2</sub>)<sub>1</sub>, <i>m</i> = 1, 2, 3, and 4
Four compounds [(SnSe)<sub>1.15</sub>]<sub><i>m</i></sub>(VSe<sub>2</sub>)<sub>1</sub>, where <i>m</i> = 1–4,
were synthesized to explore the effect of increasing the distance
between Se–V–Se dichalcogenide layers on electrical
transport properties. These kinetically stable compounds were prepared
using designed precursors that contained a repeating pattern of elemental
layers with the nanoarchitecture of the desired product. XRD and STEM
data revealed that the precursors self-assembled into the desired
compounds containing a Se–V–Se dichalcogenide layer
precisely separated by a SnSe layer. The 00<i>l</i> diffraction
data are used to determine the position of the Sn, Se, and V planes
along the <i>c</i>-axis, confirming that the average structure
is similar to that observed in the STEM images, and the resulting
data agrees well with results obtained from calculations based on
density functional theory and a semiempirical description of van der
Waals interactions. The in-plane diffraction data contains reflections
that can be indexed as <i>hk</i>0 reflections coming from
the two independent constituents. The SnSe layers diffract independently
from one another and are distorted from the bulk structure to lower
the surface free energy. All of the samples showed metallic-like behavior
in temperature-dependent resistivity between room temperature and
about 150 K. The electrical resistivity systematically increases as <i>m</i> increases. Below 150 K the transport data strongly indicates
a charge density wave transition whose onset temperature systematically
increases as <i>m</i> increases. This suggests increasing
quasi-two-dimensional behavior as increasingly thick layers of SnSe
separate the Se–V–Se layers. This is supported by electronic
structure calculations
High Capacity of Hard Carbon Anode in Na-Ion Batteries Unlocked by PO<sub><i>x</i></sub> Doping
The
capacity of hard carbon anodes in Na-ion batteries rarely reaches
values beyond 300 mAh/g. We report that doping PO<sub><i>x</i></sub> into local structures of hard carbon increases its reversible
capacity from 283 to 359 mAh/g. We confirm that the doped PO<sub><i>x</i></sub> is redox inactive by X-ray adsorption near edge
structure measurements, thus not contributing to the higher capacity.
We observe two significant changes of hard carbon’s local structures
caused by doping. First, the (002) <i>d</i>-spacing inside
the turbostratic nanodomains is increased, revealed by both laboratory
and synchrotron X-ray diffraction. Second, doping turns turbostratic
nanodomains more defective along <i>ab</i> planes, indicated
by neutron total scattering and the associated pair distribution function
studies. The local structural changes of hard carbon are correlated
to the higher capacity, where both the plateau and slope regions in
the potential profiles are enhanced. Our study demonstrates that Na-ion
storage in hard carbon heavily depends on carbon local structures,
where such structures, despite being disordered, can be tuned toward
unusually high capacities