Nanoeffects promote the electrochemical properties of organic Na2C8H4O4 as anode material for sodium-ion batteries

Recently, room temperature sodium ion batteries (SIBs) have been considered as one of the optimal alternatives for lithium ion batteries although there are still many challenges to be solved. At the present stage, the research priorities for SIBs still focus on the development of various electrode materials to meet the applicability. In this communication, we have controllably prepared a superior anode material (disodium terephthalate, Na2C8H4O4) with nanosheet-like morphology, which exhibits much improved electrochemical properties in terms of larger reversible capacity (248 mA h/g vs. 199 mA h/g), higher rate capabilities (for instance, 1.55 times the bulk material at 1250 mA/g) and better cycling performance (105 mA h/g vs. 60 mA h/g after 100 cycles at 250 mA/g) in comparison with the bulk one prepared at the similar system without the addition of polar solvent dimethylformamide. More importantly, it is further disclosed that, these enhanced performances could be mainly due to the new one-step desodiation mechanism and optimized ionic/electronic transfer pathways in the nanosheet system through the analyses of ex-situ infrared spectra, cyclic voltammogram, galvanostatic curves, scanning electron microscope images and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.