An Enhanced High-Rate Na3V2(PO4)3-Ni2P Nanocomposite Cathode with Stable Lifetime for Sodium-Ion Batteries

Jinju Song; Sohyun Park; Vinod Mathew; Jihyeon Gim; Sungjin Kim; Jeonggeun Jo; Seokhun Kim; Muhammad Hilmy Alfaruqi; Joseph Paul Baboo; In-Ho Kim; Sun-Ju Song; Jaekook Kim

doi:10.1021/acsami.6b11629

An Enhanced High-Rate Na₃V₂(PO₄)₃-Ni₂P Nanocomposite Cathode with Stable Lifetime for Sodium-Ion Batteries

ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2016 Dec 28;8(51):35235-35242. doi: 10.1021/acsami.6b11629. Epub 2016 Dec 15.

Authors

Affiliation

¹ Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Chonnam National University , 300 Yongbongdong, Bukgu, Gwangju 500-757, South Korea.

PMID: 27977124
DOI: 10.1021/acsami.6b11629

Abstract

Herein, we report on a high-discharge-rate Na₃V₂(PO₄)₃-Ni₂P/C (NVP-NP/C) composite cathode prepared using a polyol-based pyro synthesis for Na-ion battery applications. X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy studies established the presence of Na₃V₂(PO₄)₃ and Ni₂P, respectively, in the NVP-NP/C composite. As a cathode material, the obtained NVP-NP/C composite electrode exhibits higher discharge capacities (100.8 mAhg^-1 at 10.8 C and 73.9 mAhg^-1 at 34 C) than the NVP/C counterpart electrode (62.7 mAhg^-1 at 10.8 C and 4.7 mAhg^-1 at 34 C), and the composite electrode retained 95.3% of the initial capacity even after 1500 cycles at 16 C. The enhanced performance could be attributed to the synergetic effect of the Ni₂P phase and nanoscale NVP particles, which ultimately results in noticeably enhancing the electrical conductivity of the composite. The present study thus demonstrates that the Na₃V₂(PO₄)₃-Ni₂P/C nanocomposite is a prospective candidate for NIB with a high power/energy density.

Keywords: Na3V2(PO4)3; Ni2P; carbon coating; cathode; nanocomposite; sodium ion battery.