WS2 Nanotube-Embedded SiOC Fibermat Electrodes for Sodium-Ion Batteries

Sonjoy Dey; Krishnappa Manjunath; Alla Zak; Gurpreet Singh

doi:10.1021/acsomega.2c07464

WS₂ Nanotube-Embedded SiOC Fibermat Electrodes for Sodium-Ion Batteries

ACS Omega. 2023 Mar 8;8(11):10126-10138. doi: 10.1021/acsomega.2c07464. eCollection 2023 Mar 21.

Authors

Sonjoy Dey¹, Krishnappa Manjunath², Alla Zak², Gurpreet Singh¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas 66506, United States.
² Faculty of Sciences, Holon Institute of Technology, Holon 5810201, Israel.

Abstract

Layered transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) such as tungsten disulfide (WS₂) are promising materials for a wide range of applications, including charge storage in batteries and supercapacitors. Nevertheless, TMD-based electrodes suffer from bottlenecks such as capacity fading at high current densities, voltage hysteresis during the conversion reaction, and polysulfide dissolution. To tame such adverse phenomena, we fabricate composites with WS₂ nanotubes. Herein, we report on the superior electrochemical performance of ceramic composite fibers comprising WS₂ nanotubes (WS₂NTs) embedded in a chemically robust molecular polymer-derived ceramic matrix of silicon-oxycarbide (SiOC). Such a heterogeneous fiber structure was obtained via electrospinning of WS₂NT/preceramic polymer solution followed by pyrolysis at elevated temperatures. The electrode capacity fading in WS₂NTs was curbed by the synergistic effect between WS₂NT and SiOC. As a result, the composite electrode exhibits high initial capacity of 454 mAh g^-1 and the capacity retention approximately 2-3 times higher than that of the neat WS₂NT electrode.