Rational Design of Yolk-Shell Zn-Co-Se@N-Doped Dual Carbon Architectures as Long-Life and High-Rate Anodes for Half/Full Na-Ion Batteries

Transition-metal selenides (TMSs) have emerged as prospective anode materials for sodium ion batteries (SIBs), owing to their considerable theoretical capacity and intrinsic high electronic conductivity. Whereas, TMSs still suffer from poor rate capability and inferior cycling stability induced by sluggish kinetics and severe volume changes during de/sodiation processes. Herein, a hierarchical composite consisting of a zinc-cobalt bimetallic selenide yolk and nitrogen-doped double carbon shell (denoted as Zn-Co-Se@NDC) is engineered and fabricated successfully. The architecture of the as-fabricated material improves the Na-ion storage performance via increasing the electron transfer kinetics, accommodating volume expansion, and mitigating the generation of by-products. As expected, the Zn-Co-Se@NDC electrode delivers superior sodium storage performance with long cycling stability (344.5 mAh g(-1) at 5.0 A g(-1) over 2000 long-term cycles) and high-rate performance (319.2 mAh g(-1) at 10.0 A g(-1)). Meanwhile, the NVP@C//Zn-Co-Se@NDC full SIB cells are constructed successfully, retaining 96.3% of its initial capacity at 0.5A g(-1) after 200 loops. The outstanding electrochemical performance and the construction of hybrid SIBs will have far-reaching influences on the development of the various rechargeable batteries.

Automated summary

In this research, a hierarchical composite material consisting of a zinc-cobalt bimetallic selenide yolk and nitrogen-doped double carbon shell (Zn-Co-Se@NDC) was successfully engineered and fabricated. The material's architecture improved sodium ion storage performance by enhancing electron transfer kinetics, accommodating volume expansion, and reducing the generation of by-products. The Zn-Co-Se@NDC electrode exhibited superior long cycling stability and high-rate performance, showcasing the potential for the development of various rechargeable batteries.