Antimony sulfide nanorods decorated onto reduced graphene oxide based anodes for sodium-ion battery

Abstract

Rechargeable batteries have wide applications starting from electronic devices, hybrid electric vehicles to stationary electrical energy storage (EES) systems where the primary need is that battery should have high energy density and operate for longer duration. However, the technologically superior advanced Li-ion batteries (LIBs) developed for portable electronics and electric vehicles are still under consideration for the stationary EES stringent requirements of low cost and safety. Therefore, there is clear a need to exploit alternative battery chemistries that can exhibit similar energy density but improved performance compared to competitive LIB systems. Keeping in that mind, we have explored novel high capacity antimony based anodes (Sb 2 S 3 ) which can offer a practical capacity ~400-600 mAhg -1 , excellent Coulombic efficiency (≥99%) and cyclability (~100 cycles). Sb 2 S 3 , and Sb 2 S 3 /rGO based nanocomposite anodes were developed by facile hydrothermal method and thoroughly investigated for their crystallinity, phase stability, and microstructure using XRD, FESEM/EDS, TEM/HRTEM, FTIR, etc. The electrochemical sodium storage behavior of the synthesized anodes was examined in CR-2032 type coin cells using cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge-discharge cycles. CV of Sb 2 S 3 /rGO in a sodium-ion cell shows that cathodic (~0.7V, and ~0.4V) and anodic (~0.8V and 1.12V) peaks suggest the reversible formation for NaSb and Na 3 Sb phase(s) during cycling. The preliminary galvanostatic cycling data shows that Sb 2 S 3 , and Sb 2 S 3 /rGO exhibits a decent discharge and charge capacity of ~601 mAhg -1 , ~256 mAhg -1 , 490 mAhg -1 , and ~588 mAhg -1 , respectively under a constant current density of 50 mAg -1 for the first cycle. However, capacity fades in the following cycles warrant further in-depth studies to understand the detail charge storage behavior of the electrodes .