Universal Strategy for Preparing Highly Stable PBA/Ti3C2Tx MXene toward Lithium-Ion Batteries via Chemical Transformation

Prussian blue analogues (PBAs) are believed to be intriguing anode materials for Li+ storage because of their tunable composition, designable topologies, and tailorable porous structures, yet they suffer from severe capacity decay and inferior cycling stability due to the volume variation upon lithiation and high electrical resistance. Herein, we develop a universal strategy for synthesizing small PBA nanoparticles hosted on two-dimensional (2D) MXene or rGO (PBA/MX or PBA/rGO) via an in situ transformation from ultrathin layered double hydroxides (LDH) nanosheets. 2D conductive nanosheets allow for fast electron transport and guarantee the full utilization of PBA even at high rates; at the meantime, PBA nanoparticles effectively prevent 2D materials from restacking and facilitate rapid ion diffusion. The optimized Ni0.8Mn0.2-PBA/MX as an anode for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) delivers a capacity of 442 mAh g(-1) at 0.1 A g(-1) and an excellent cycling robustness in comparison with bare PBA bulk crystals. We believe that this study offers an alternative choice for rationally designing PBA-based electrode materials for energy storage.

Automated summary

By in situ transformation of ultrathin layered double hydroxides (LDH) nanosheets, we have successfully synthesized small PBA nanoparticles hosted on two-dimensional MXene or rGO. This material exhibits fast electron transport and rapid ion diffusion, and maintains good cycling stability even at high rates.