Liquid Exfoliated SnP3 Nanosheets for Very High Areal Capacity Lithium-Ion Batteries

Increasing the energy density of lithium-ion batteries requires the discovery of new electrode materials capable of achieving very high areal capacity. Here, liquid phase exfoliation is used to produce nanosheets of SnP3, a 2D material with extremely high theoretical capacity of 1670 mAh g(-1). These nanosheets can be fabricated into solution-processed thin films for use as lithium storing anodes. To maximize their performance, carbon nanotubes are incorporated into the electrodes to simultaneously enhance conductivity and toughness. As a result, electrodes of thickness >300 mu m can be produced, which display active-mass-normalized capacities (approximate to 1657 mAh g(Active)(-1)) very close to the theoretical value. These materials show maximum specific (approximate to 1250 mAh g(Electrode)(-1)) and areal (>20 mAh cm(-2)) capacities, which are at the state-of-the-art for 2D-based electrodes, coupled with good rate performance and stability. In combination with commercial cathode materials, full-cells are fabricated with areal capacities of approximate to 29 mAh cm(-2) and near-record energy densities approaching 1000 Wh L-1.

Automated summary

The liquid phase exfoliation technique is used to produce nanosheets of SnP3, a 2D material with high theoretical capacity for use in lithium storing anodes, achieving close to theoretical value in terms of active-mass-normalized capacities. Incorporating carbon nanotubes into the electrodes enhances conductivity and toughness, allowing for the production of electrodes with high specific and areal capacities, good rate performance, and stability. Full-cells fabricated with commercial cathode materials show near-record energy densities with areal capacities of approximately 29 mAh cm(-2).