Nasicon material NaZr2(PO4)3: a novel storage material for sodium-ion batteries

A new type of anode material for sodium-ion batteries is proposed which has been synthesized through solid state reaction. The galvanostatic charge/discharge cycling is carried out with a voltage range of 0.01-2.5 V vs. Na+/Na. First-principles calculations are also employed to theoretically investigate the crystal structure change and the insertion-extraction mechanism of Na ions in the NaZr2(PO4)(3) structure. The Nasicon material exhibits an excellent reversible charge/discharge capacity under different current densities, which is mainly attributed to the open and strongly bonded NaZr2(PO4)(3) structure, allowing the high mobility of the Na ions tunnelling through the PO4-ZrO6 polyhedra chain.