title: Size and Composition Effects in Sb-Carbon Nanocomposites for Sodium-Ion Batteries.
abstract: Sodium-ion batteries are in the spotlight as viable alternatives to lithium-ion batteries in stationary storage and power grid applications. Among possible anode materials, Sb is one of the interesting candidates due to a combination of battery-type potential plateaus in the charge-discharge profiles, high capacity (theoretical capacity of 660 mAh g-1), and demonstrated good cyclic stability. The influence of Sb particle size (particularly at the nanoscale range) and the composition of Sb-carbon composites on the electrode performance, stability, and charge storage mechanism is systematically evaluated here for the first time. A range of Sb-carbon nanocomposites with varied Sb particle size (between 50 and ∼1 nm) are studied. The control of the particle size is achieved via varying the carbon and Sb weight ratio in the precursors. The shape of charge-discharge profiles, hysteresis, and the difference in cyclic stabilities and rate performance are analyzed. The nanocomposite with the smallest particle size (∼1 nm) and the largest carbon content provides the most stable cyclic behavior and a better rate capability but suffers from an increased hysteresis between charge and discharge curves. In situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction experiments indicate that the storage mechanism in the Sb-carbon nanocomposites containing Sb nanoparticles is different from the electrodes with bulkier, micron-sized Sb particles, and the electrochemical reaction proceeds through a number of crystalline intermediates.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Frontier Materials, Deakin University , 75 Pigdons Road, Waurn Ponds, Geelong, Victoria 3216, Australia.
authors.forename: Thrinathreddy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ramireddy
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry, University of New South Wales , Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia.
authors.forename: Neeraj
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.affiliation: Institute for Frontier Materials, Deakin University , 75 Pigdons Road, Waurn Ponds, Geelong, Victoria 3216, Australia.
authors.forename: Tan
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Xing
authors.affiliation: Institute for Frontier Materials, Deakin University , 75 Pigdons Road, Waurn Ponds, Geelong, Victoria 3216, Australia.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Institute for Frontier Materials, Deakin University , 75 Pigdons Road, Waurn Ponds, Geelong, Victoria 3216, Australia.|Université de Nantes, Polytech Nantes, Institut des Matériaux Jean Rouxel, CNRS, Rue Christian Pauc, BP 50609, Nantes, 44306 CEDEX 3, France.
authors.forename: Jeremie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Leforestier
authors.affiliation: Institute for Frontier Materials, Deakin University , 75 Pigdons Road, Waurn Ponds, Geelong, Victoria 3216, Australia.
authors.forename: Alexey M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Glushenkov
keywords: anode; antimony; ball milling; size; sodium-ion battery