Nanoconfinement of red phosphorus nanoparticles in seaweed-derived hierarchical porous carbonaceous fibers for enhanced lithium ion storage

Red phosphorus has come to our attention as the anode material for lithium-ion batteries with high theoretical specific capacity of 2596 mAh g(-1) due to its earth-abundant and low-cost. However, it suffers from low electroconductivity and large volume expansion, resulting in serious capacity fading. In this study, we confined red phosphorus nanoparticles into the hierarchical porous carbonaceous fibers to enhance its cycling stability. Red phosphorus nanoparticles preferentially filled in the micropores and gradually extended to the larger pores. The optimized electrochemical performance benefits from hierarchical pores filled with the appropriate content of red phosphorus, where the small micropores are used to confine the red phosphorus nanoparticles and the large mesopores are beneficial for the increased contact of electrolyte. This can remit excessive volume change and facilitate the contact area of electrolyte effectively. Thus, the P@HPCF-3/2 displays outstanding cycle performance with a superior high reversible capacity (1300 mAh g(-1) after 100 cycles at 1 A g(-1)).