Rational design of nitrogen (N), boron (B), and phosphorous (P) tri-doped carbon nano-spheres as advanced anode materials for sodium-ion batteries with an ultra-long lifespan

Nazir Ahmad; Nisar Muhammad; Hong Chen; Ji Wang; Chaohui Wei; Majid Khan; Ruizhi Yang

doi:10.1016/j.jcis.2023.07.082

Rational design of nitrogen (N), boron (B), and phosphorous (P) tri-doped carbon nano-spheres as advanced anode materials for sodium-ion batteries with an ultra-long lifespan

J Colloid Interface Sci. 2023 Nov 15;650(Pt B):1725-1735. doi: 10.1016/j.jcis.2023.07.082. Epub 2023 Jul 20.

Authors

Nazir Ahmad¹, Nisar Muhammad², Hong Chen³, Ji Wang³, Chaohui Wei⁴, Majid Khan³, Ruizhi Yang⁵

Affiliations

¹ College of Energy, Soochow Institute for Energy and Materials Innovations, Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, China; Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale CAS Key Laboratory of Materials for Energy Conversion Department of Materials Science and Engineering University of Science and Technology of China Hefei, Anhui 230026, China.
² Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale and Department of Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China.
³ College of Energy, Soochow Institute for Energy and Materials Innovations, Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, China.
⁴ College of Energy, Soochow Institute for Energy and Materials Innovations, Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, China; Yangtze Delta Region Institute (Huzhou), University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Huzhou 313000, China.
⁵ College of Energy, Soochow Institute for Energy and Materials Innovations, Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, China. Electronic address: yangrz@suda.edu.cn.

PMID: 37506414
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2023.07.082

Abstract

Developing improved anode materials is critical to the performance enhancement and the lifespan prolonging of sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). In this context, carbon-based nanostructures have emerged as a promising candidate. In this work, we have synthesized N, B, and P tri-doped carbon (NBPC) spheres using a one-step carbonization method. The as-prepared NBPC exhibits exceptional properties, including an expanded layer space, sufficient structural defects, and enhanced electrical conductivity. These characteristics synergistically contribute to the remarkable rate capability and ultra-long lifespan when NBPC is employed as an anode material for SIBs. The as-prepared NBPC demonstrates a reversible capacity of 290.6 mAh/g at 0.05 A/g, with a capacity retention of 98.4% after 800 cycles. Furthermore, NBPC exhibits an impressively ultra-long cycle life of 2400 cycles at 1.0 A/g with a reversible capacity of 140.2 mAh/g. First principle calculations confirm that the introduction of N, B, and P heteroatoms in carbon enhances the binding strength of sodium ions within NBPC. This work presents a novel approach for fabricating advanced anode materials, enabling the development of long-life SIBs for practical applications.

Keywords: Carbon; Heteroatoms doping; Sodium-ion battery; Ultra-long lifespan.