Bismuth Nanoparticle@Carbon Composite Anodes for Ultralong Cycle Life and High-Rate Sodium-Ion Batteries

Bismuth has emerged as a promising anode material for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs), owing to its high capacity and suitable operating potential. However, large volume changes during alloying/dealloying processes lead to poor cycling performance. Herein, bismuth nanoparticle@carbon (Bi@C) composite is prepared via a facile annealing method using a commercial coordination compound precursor of bismuth citrate. The composite has a uniform structure with Bi nanoparticles embedded within a carbon framework. The nanosized structure ensures a fast kinetics and efficient alleviation of stress/strain caused by the volume change, and the resilient and conductive carbon matrix provides an interconnected electron transportation pathway. The Bi@C composite delivers outstanding sodium-storage performance with an ultralong cycle life of 30 000 cycles at a high current density of 8 A g(-1) and an excellent rate capability of 71% capacity retention at an ultrahigh current rate of 60 A g(-1). Even at a high mass loading of 11.5 mg cm(-2), a stable reversible capacity of 280 mA h g(-1) can be obtained after 200 cycles. More importantly, full SIBs by pairing with a Na3V2(PO4)(3) cathode demonstrates superior performance. Combining the facile synthesis and the commercial precursor, the exceptional performance makes the Bi@C composite very promising for practical large-scale applications.