Coupling hierarchical iron cobalt selenide arrays with N-doped carbon as advanced anodes for sodium ion storage

Transition metal selenides have emerged as a class of promising anodes for sodium ion batteries (SIBs). However, the notorious issues of their low electrical conductivity and huge volume changes during sodium ion insertion/extraction lead to poor cycling stability and inferior rate capability. In this work, hierarchically core-branched iron cobalt selenide arrays coated with N-doped carbon shell (denoted as FeCo-Se@NC) were rationally designed and synthesized on carbon cloth through a combined strategy of hydrothermal, selenization and carbonization processes. Benefitting from the designed arrays with simultaneous Fe doping into the CoSe2 matrix and N-doped carbon coating, the optimized FeCo-Se@NC electrode possesses greatly enhanced structural integrity and accelerated ion/electron transfer kinetics. When employed as a binder- and additive-free anode for SIBs, the FeCo-Se@NC electrode exhibits a high reversible capacity of 532.1 mA h g(-1) at 0.05 A g(-1), competitive rate capability (193.3 mA h g(-1) at 5 A g(-1)), and good cycling stability (386.1 mA h g(-1) after 150 cycles at 0.5 A g(-1)). Moreover, when coupled with Na3V2(PO4)(3)/C, the full cell delivers a high capacity of 350.6 mA h g(-1) at 0.1 A g(-1) and a high energy density of 276.7 W h kg(-1). This work is expected to provide a new avenue for the development of arrayed transition metal selenide-based materials for high-performance SIBs.

Automated summary

In this study, hierarchically core-branched iron cobalt selenide arrays coated with N-doped carbon shell were designed and synthesized on carbon cloth through a combined strategy of hydrothermal, selenization and carbonization processes. The optimized FeCo-Se@NC electrode exhibited enhanced structural integrity and accelerated ion/electron transfer kinetics, leading to high reversible capacity, competitive rate capability, and good cycling stability in sodium ion batteries. When coupled with Na3V2(PO4)(3)/C, the full cell delivered a high capacity and energy density, showing potential for high-performance SIBs.