Core-Shell Structure Trimetallic Sulfide@N-Doped Carbon Composites as Anodes for Enhanced Lithium-Ion Storage Performance

Xiuyan Li; Liangxing Zhu; Chenyu Yang; Yinan Wang; Shaonan Gu; Guowei Zhou

doi:10.3390/molecules28227580

Core-Shell Structure Trimetallic Sulfide@N-Doped Carbon Composites as Anodes for Enhanced Lithium-Ion Storage Performance

Molecules. 2023 Nov 14;28(22):7580. doi: 10.3390/molecules28227580.

Authors

Xiuyan Li¹, Liangxing Zhu², Chenyu Yang², Yinan Wang², Shaonan Gu², Guowei Zhou²

Affiliations

¹ School of Chemical Engineering and Environment, Shandong Peninsula Engineering Research Center of Comprehensive Brine Utilization, Weifang University of Science and Technology, Weifang 262700, China.
² Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals in Universities of Shandong, Jinan Engineering Laboratory for Multi-Scale Functional Materials, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan 250353, China.

Abstract

The high specific capacity of transition metal sulfides (TMSs) opens up a promising new development direction for lithium-ion batteries with high energy storage. However, the poor conductivity and serious volume expansion during charge and discharge hinder their further development. In this work, trimetallic sulfide Zn-Co-Fe-S@nitrogen-doped carbon (Zn-Co-Fe-S@N-C) polyhedron composite with a core-shell structure is synthesized through a simple self-template method using ZnCoFe-ZIF as precursor, followed by a dopamine surface polymerization process and sulfidation during high-temperature calcination. The obvious space between the internal core and the external shell of the Zn-Co-Fe-S@N-C composites can effectively alleviate the volume expansion and shorten the diffusion path of Li ions during charge and discharge cycles. The nitrogen-doped carbon shell not only significantly improves the electrical conductivity of the material, but also strengthens the structural stability of the material. The synergistic effect between polymetallic sulfides improves the electrochemical reactivity. When used as an anode in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), the prepared Zn-Co-Fe-S@N-C composite exhibits a high specific capacity retention (966.6 mA h g^-1 after 100 cycles at current rate of 100 mA g^-1) and good cyclic stability (499.17 mA h g^-1 after 120 cycles at current rate of 2000 mA g^-1).

Keywords: anode material; core–shell structure; lithium-ion batteries; trimetallic sulfide.

Grants and funding

This research was funded by the Program of Scientific and Technological Development of Weifang (Grant No. 2021GX047), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51972180), and the Science, Education and Industry Integration of Basic Research Projects of Qilu University of Technology (Grant Nos. 2023PY034, 2022PY062). And The APC was funded by Grant No. 51972180.