Bismuth sulfide: A high-capacity anode for sodium-ion batteries

Exploring high-performance anode materials is currently one of the most urgent issues towards practical sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). In this work, Bi2S3 is demonstrated to be a high-capacity anode for SIBs for the first time. The specific capacity of Bi2S3 nanorods achieves up to 658 and 264 mAh g(-1) at a current density of 100 and 2000 mA g(-1), respectively. A full cell with Na3V2(PO4)(3)-based cathode is also assembled as a proof of concept and delivers 340 mAh g(-1) at 100 mA g(-1). The sodium storage mechanism of Bi2S3 is investigated by ex-situ XRD coupled with high-resolution TEM (HRTEM), and it is found that sodium storage is achieved by a combined conversion-intercalation mechanism. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.