Amorphous FeSnOx Nanosheets with Hierarchical Vacancies for Room‐Temperature Sodium‐Sulfur Batteries

• Published in: Angewandte Chemie International Edition 2024-09, Vol.63 (38), p.e202404816-n/a
• Main Authors: Sun, Wu, Hou, Junyu, Zhou, Yunlei, Zhu, Tianke, Yuan, Qunyao, Wang, Shaolei, Manshaii, Farid, Song, Changsheng, Lei, Xingyu, Wu, Xiaoyan, Kim, Hern, Yu, Yi, Xiao, Chuanxiao, Zhang, Hongjun, Song, Yun, Sun, Dalin, Jia, Binbin, Zhou, Guangmin, Zhao, Jie
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Active sites; Amorphous materials; Amorphous Two-Dimensional Nanosheets; Amorphous/Crystalline Interface; Catalytic converters; Crystal defects; Dendrites; Energy costs; Glass fibers; Lithium; Lithium-ion batteries; Mechanical properties; Nanosheets; Oxygen Vacancy; Polysulfides; Renewable energy; Room Temperature Sodium-Sulfur Batteries; Separators; Sodium; Sulfur; Tin oxide; Tin oxides
• ISSN: 1433-7851; 1521-3773; 1521-3773
• DOI: 10.1002/anie.202404816

Room‐temperature sodium‐sulfur (RT Na−S) batteries, noted for their low material costs and high energy density, are emerging as a promising alternative to lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs) in various applications including power grids and standalone renewable energy systems. These batteries are commonly assembled with glass fiber membranes, which face significant challenges like the dissolution of polysulfides, sluggish sulfur conversion kinetics, and the growth of Na dendrites. Here, we develop an amorphous two‐dimensional (2D) iron tin oxide (A‐FeSnOx) nanosheet with hierarchical vacancies, including abundant oxygen vacancies (Ovs) and nano‐sized perforations, that can be assembled into a multifunctional layer overlaying commercial separators for RT Na−S batteries. The Ovs offer strong adsorption and abundant catalytic sites for polysulfides, while the defect concentration is finely tuned to elucidate the polysulfides conversion mechanisms. The nano‐sized perforations aid in regulating Na ions transport, resulting in uniform Na deposition. Moreover, the strategic addition of trace amounts of Ti3C2 (MXene) forms an amorphous/crystalline (A/C) interface that significantly improves the mechanical properties of the separator and suppresses dendrite growth. As a result, the task‐specific layer achieves ultra‐light (~0.1 mg cm−2), ultra‐thin (~200 nm), and ultra‐robust (modulus=4.9 GPa) characteristics. Consequently, the RT Na−S battery maintained a high capacity of 610.3 mAh g−1 and an average Coulombic efficiency of 99.9 % after 400 cycles at 0.5 C. Amorphous 2D nanosheets with abundant nano‐sized perforations and oxygen vancancies, mixed with a small amount of monolayer MXene, are coated on PP separators. This simultaneously regulates uniform Na deposition, facilitates the kinetics of polysulfides conversion, and enhances the mechanical properties.