Microorganism-moulded pomegranate-like Na3V2(PO4)3/C nanocomposite for advanced sodium-ion batteries

Na3V2(PO4)3 (NVP) with a NASICON crystal structure is a promising cathode material for sodium-ion batteries; however, it has a low rate performance due to its poor electric conductivity. Herein, pomegranate-like NVP/C composites were proposed and prepared via a simple and cost-efficient method using...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of materials chemistry. A, Materials for energy and sustainability Materials for energy and sustainability, 2017-05, Vol.5 (20), p.9982-9990
Main Authors: Zhu, Qizhen, Chang, Xiaqing, Sun, Ning, Liu, Huan, Chen, Renjie, Wu, Feng, Xu, Bin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Carbon
Carbon-carbon composites
Electrical conductivity
Grains
Nanostructure
Particulate composites
Rechargeable batteries
Yeast
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Summary:Na3V2(PO4)3 (NVP) with a NASICON crystal structure is a promising cathode material for sodium-ion batteries; however, it has a low rate performance due to its poor electric conductivity. Herein, pomegranate-like NVP/C composites were proposed and prepared via a simple and cost-efficient method using yeast as the mould. Owing to the strong adsorption ability of yeast, high tolerance to extreme conditions and high nitrogen and phosphorus content, a hierarchically structured material composed by NVP particles embedded within a N-/P-doped carbon framework was formed in situ. In the NVP/C composites, the nanoscaled NVP grains coated by carbon, derived from the cytoplasm, and micron-sized carbon capsules, which resulted from the carbonization of the sturdy cell walls, were formed to further accommodate dozens of the carbon-coated NVP grains, resulting in a pomegranate-like architecture. This unique structure and the N-/P-doped carbon framework can provide superior electrochemical kinetics and stability, with efficient electron pathways, and can also buffer volume changes during Na+ insertion/extraction. As a result, the NVP/C composites exhibit a good rate performance (113.9 mA h g-1 at 10C) and an outstanding long-term cycling stability (capacity retention of around 74.7% after 10 000 cycles). The properties of the pomegranate-like structure moulded by yeast microorganisms are remarkable and the NVP/C composite is believed to be a promising electrode material for sodium-ion batteries.
ISSN:2050-7488
2050-7496
DOI:10.1039/c7ta02165h