Uniquely structured composite microspheres of metal sulfides and carbon with cubic nanorooms for highly efficient anode materials for sodium-ion batteries

Jin Koo Kim, Seung Keun Park, Jin Sung Park, Yun Chan Kang

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    54 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Metal sulfides are promising anode materials for high-performance sodium-ion batteries. However, their drastic volume variation and poor electrical conductivity during cycling result in poor performance, which is a major challenge. In this study, we report the facile and generalized aerosol-assisted synthesis of metal sulfide/C composite microspheres with cubic nanorooms (MeS x /C-NR) by employing NaCl as a washable template. We investigated the optimization method for synthesizing this novel nanostructure by controlling the synthesis conditions. In the case of MoS 2 /C-NR, which was selected as the main target material, few-layered MoS 2 nanosheets were successfully formed, and their restacking during cycling was prevented via incorporation with a dextrin-derived carbon matrix. Meso-/macropores generated by NaCl increased the affinity of MoS 2 /C-NR to the electrolyte, increasing the active surface area for electrochemical reaction and reducing the diffusion length of Na + without compromising the structural robustness. As a result, the MoS 2 /C-NR delivered a stable reversible capacity of 385 mA h g -1 for 350 cycles at a current density of 0.5 A g -1 and a high rate performance of 287 mA h g -1 at a current density of 7 A g -1 . This synthesis strategy can be utilized to prepare other porous metal sulfide/carbon composites, including FeS 2 /C-NR and SnS/C-NR, without much difficulty, which may be valuable for many other applications, including energy storage.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)2636-2645
    Number of pages10
    JournalJournal of Materials Chemistry A
    Volume7
    Issue number6
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2019

    Bibliographical note

    Funding Information:
    This research was supported by Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education (2017R1D1A1B03034473 and NRF-2017R1A4A1014806).

    Publisher Copyright:
    © 2019 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • General Chemistry
    • Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
    • General Materials Science

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