Pomegranate-like mesoporous double carbon-coated Fe2P nanoparticles as advanced anode materials for sodium-ion batteries

Anode materials have limited the development of sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). In this paper, the novel pomegranate-like mesoporous double carbon-coated Fe2P nanoparticles (Fe2P@C@NC), in which Fe2P is confined in the thin carbon shell derived from phytic acid and then wholly embedded into N-doped carbon network, can be applied as anode materials for SIBs. The elaborated structure presents several prominent merits, such as large specific surface area, pore-volume, excellent electronic conductivity network, and buffering volume expansion. All of these endow the structural integrity of Fe2P@C@NC material with excellent performance during charge-discharge cycles and guarantee speedy electrode reaction kinetics. As SIBs anode, Fe2P@C@NC material delivers an excellent reversible specific capacity of 408 mAh g(-1) with almost no decay after the 100th cycles. And it also features excellent rate capability and splendid durability (attenuation rate of 0.05% per cycle with 1000th cycles) at high current density. These results confirm that the unique self-confined growth strategy has a great practical value in synthesizing advanced materials for next-generation energy storage systems. [GRAPHICS] .

Automated summary

This paper introduces a novel anode material for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) called pomegranate-like mesoporous double carbon-coated Fe2P nanoparticles (Fe2P@C@NC). The structure of Fe2P@C@NC provides a large specific surface area, pore-volume, excellent electronic conductivity network, and buffering volume expansion. It exhibits excellent performance and speedy electrode reaction kinetics during charge-discharge cycles, delivering a reversible specific capacity of 408 mAh g(-1) with almost no decay after the 100th cycle. It also demonstrates excellent rate capability and durability at high current density. The unique self-confined growth strategy used in synthesizing Fe2P@C@NC has great practical value for next-generation energy storage systems.