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Dual Functions of Potassium Antimony(III)‐Tartrate in Tuning Antimony/Carbon Composites for Long‐Life Na‐Ion Batteries
Author(s) -
Wu Tianjing,
Zhang Chenyang,
Hou Hongshuai,
Ge Peng,
Zou Guoqiang,
Xu Wei,
Li Simin,
Huang Zhaodong,
Guo Tianxiao,
Jing Mingjun,
Ji Xiaobo
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
advanced functional materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.069
H-Index - 322
eISSN - 1616-3028
pISSN - 1616-301X
DOI - 10.1002/adfm.201705744
Subject(s) - antimony , materials science , anode , carbonization , carbon fibers , potassium , metal , chemical engineering , electrode , inorganic chemistry , composite material , metallurgy , scanning electron microscope , chemistry , composite number , engineering
Antimony holds a high‐specific capacity as a promising anode material for Na‐ion batteries (SIBs) and much research is focused on solving the poor cycling stability issue associated with its large volume expansion during alloying/dealloying processes. Here, self‐thermal‐reduction method is successfully applied to prepare antimony/carbon rods (Sb/C rods) utilizing potassium antimony(III)‐tartrate (C 8 H 10 O 15 Sb 2 K 2 ) as a dual source of carbon matrix and metallic antimony. According to theory calculations and experiment results, the formation process is explicitly explored as follows: C 8 H 10 O 15 Sb 2 K 2 → Sb 2 O 3 /C → Sb 2 O 3 /Sb/C → Sb/C rods. Notably, organic ligands in C 8 H 10 O 15 Sb 2 K 2 can be gradually turned into amorphous carbon with simultaneous reduction of Sb 3+ to metal Sb. Moreover, potassium chloride acts as an activator and a template during the course of carbonization, and synchronous reduction is introduced. Consequently, an antimony/carbon electrode material denoted as SbOC/C is formed, exhibiting a unique dual‐carbon‐modified structure and extensive SbOC bridge bonds that give rise to outstanding cycling performance and rate capacity. Specifically, the capacity is maintained at 404 mA h g −1 with 89% retention after 700 cycles at 500 mA g −1 . The low‐cost, self‐thermal‐reduction method and excellent electrode performances of electrode material make it attractive for large‐scale energy storage systems.