ZnO nanocrystals were synthesized via a thermal decomposition method. X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and photoluminescence were used to investigate the composition and nanostructure of the material. Compared with commercial ZnO nanoparticles, ZnO nanocrystals showed higher lithium storage capacity and better cycling characteristics and exhibited a reversible discharge capacity of 500 mAh g−1after 100 cycles at 200 mA g−1.
The deposition of volatilized Na+ on the surface of the cathode during sintering results in the formation of surface residual alkali (NaOH/Na2CO3/NaHCO3) in layered cathode materials, leading to serious interfacial reactions and performance degradation. This phenomenon is particularly evident in O3‐NaNi0.4Cu0.1Mn0.4Ti0.1O2 (NCMT). In this study, we propose a strategy to transform waste into treasure by converting residual alkali into a solid electrolyte. Mg(CH3COO)2 and H3PO4 are reacted with surface residual alkali to generate the solid electrolyte NaMgPO4 on the surface of NCMT, which can be labeled as NaMgPO4@NaNi0.4Cu0.1Mn0.4Ti0.1O2‐X (NMP@NCMT‐X, where X indicates the different amounts of Mg2+ and PO43−). NaMgPO4 acts as a special ionic conductivity channel on the surface to improve the kinetics of the electrode reactions, remarkably improving the rate capability of the modified cathode at a high current density in the half‐cell. Additionally, NMP@NCMT‐2 enables a reversible phase transition from the P3 to OP2 phase in the charge–discharge process above 4.2 V and achieves a high specific capacity of 157.3 mAh g−1 and outstanding capacity retention in the full cell. The strategy can effectively and reliably stabilize the interface and improve the performance of layered cathodes for Na‐ion batteries (NIBs).This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved
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