Ultrahigh Rate Performance of Hollow Antimony Nanoparticles Impregnated in Open Carbon Boxes for Sodium-Ion Battery under Elevated Temperature

Abstract

Antimony is a competitive and promising anode material for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) due to its high theoretical capacity. However, the poor rate capability and fast capacity fading greatly restrict its practical application. To address the above issues, a facile and eco-friendly sacrificial template method is developed to synthesize hollow Sb nanoparticles impregnated in open carbon boxes (Sb HPs@OCB). The as-obtained Sb HPs@OCB composite exhibits excellent sodium storage properties even when operated at an elevated temperature of 50 °C, delivering a robust rate capability of 345 mAh g^-1 at 16 A g^-1 and rendering an outstanding reversible capacity of 187 mAh g^-1 at a high rate of 10 A g^-1 after 300 cycles. Such superior electrochemical performance of the Sb HPs@OCB can be attributed to the comprehensive characteristics of improved kinetics derived from hollow Sb nanoparticles impregnated into 2D carbon nanowalls, the existence of robust SbOC bond, and enhanced pseudocapacitive behavior. All those factors enable Sb HPs@OCB great potential and distinct merit for large-scale energy storage of SIBs.

Keywords: carbon box; high rate; high temperature; hollow Sb nanoparticles; sodium-ion battery anodes.