The red phosphorus (RP) anode has attracted great attention due to its high theoretical specific capacity (2596 mAh/g) and suitable lithiation potential. To solve the inherent poor electrical conductivity and the large volume expansion due to the lithiation process, a vaporization–condensation strategy is considered as a promising method. However, there are two important issues that deserve attention in the vaporization–condensation process. First, the low P mass loading in the carbon-based frameworks (∼30 wt %) limits the energy density. Second, a residual white phosphorus (WP) leads to the safety problems of flammability and high toxicity. Herein, we found that the edge structure of carbon framework can offer the strong adsorption for P4 and form a P–C bond, which accelerate the adsorption and polymerization of P4 leading to high P mass loading and safety. When the porous carbon (PC) with plenty of edge carbons was used as the matrix to load P by vaporization–condensation, the RP loading is close to the highest theoretical mass loading of ∼50 wt % calculated based on the feeding ratio of RP/PC = 1/1. Therefore, the RP-PC anode provides a high specific capacity of 965.2 mAh/g even after 1100 cycles at 1000 mA/g (equivalent to 1 C) and a high-rate capacity of 496.8 mAh/g at 8320 mA/g (equivalent to 16.7 C) after 1000 cycles (the specific capacity and current density are calculated based on the total weight of RP and PC).

Black phosphorus is regarded as a promising anode material due to its high theoretical specific capacity and fast-charging safety compared with the commercial graphite-based anode materials. However, the practical application of a black phosphorus anode is constrained by the large volumetric variation, unstable electrode/electrolyte interface, and shuttle effect of soluble phosphorus intermediates. Herein, we fabricated a phosphorus/carbon nanotube@polypyrrole (BP/CNT@PPy) composite via a simple high-energy ball-milling (HEBM) and liquid polymerization method. When it was used as the anode material for lithium-ion batteries, the elastic and conductive PPy coating layer played an important role in buffering volume expansion, improving electrical conductivity, and maintaining the integrity of active materials. Thus, the BP/CNT@PPy electrode exhibits excellent cyclic stability. This work provides a favorable strategy to design a high-performance phosphorus anode for lithium-ion batteries.

Phosphorus anode is one of the most promising candidates for high-energy-density lithium-ion batteries. Recent studies found the lithiation process of phosphorus is accompanied by the soluble intermediates of lithium polyphosphides. The trans-separator diffusion of polyphosphides is responsible for the capacity decay. Herein, a facile separator modification strategy is proposed for improving the performance of phosphorus anode. The lightweight CNT-modified layer that has a continuous conductive skeleton, a dense structure, and a strong interaction with the soluble lithium polyphosphides can trap, stabilize, and reactivate the active material. Without sophisticated electrode structure design, the cyclability and high-rate performance of the phosphorus anode has been significantly improved, leading to a higher specific capacity of 1505 mAh/g at 250 mA/g (200th cycle) and 1312 mAh/g at 2 A/g. With the advantages of simplicity and low cost, the separator modification strategy provides a new feasible way for further improvement of the phosphorus-based anode.

One of the phosphorus allotropes called greenish phosphorus was successfully synthesized by simple chemical vapor deposition method. We revealed that the critical factors in the formation mechanism of greenish phosphorus...

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