Engineering Surface Structure and Defect Chemistry of Nanoscale Cubic Co₃O₄ Crystallites for Enhanced Lithium and Sodium Storage

Abstract

Transition metal oxide nanostructures are drawing much attention as promising electrodes for advanced rechargeable batteries. However, due to the intrinsic low electronic conductivity and substantial volume change during cycling, the electrodes usually show low rate capability and poor cycling life. Herein, we report a route combining surface/interface engineering and defect chemistry to tune the lithium storage properties in nanoscale cubic Co 3 O 4 crystallites. The Co 3 O 4 crystallites were annealed in an inert atmosphere by carefully controlling the temperature, which induces the conformal formation of CoO layers with a tunable thickness on the surface of initial cubes. Microstructural characterizations and electrochemical measurements indicate that the optimized sample possesses a CoO thickness of ∼1.1 nm and shows a reversible lithium storage capacity of 1069.4 mAh•g −1 after 100 cycles of a current density of 0.1 A•g −1 . A capacity of 807.9 mAh•g −1 can be obtained at a rate of 5 A•g −1 . The improved lithium storage performance is attributed to the unique CoO−Co 3 O 4 interface structure and defect chemistry, which induces a strong electric field at the sharp Co 3 O 4 −CoO interface according to density functional theory calculations. The optimized sample also shows it improved sodium storage properties. This work thus provides an effective strategy for the design and synthesis of advanced electrode materials for energy applications.

Self-Standing Film Assembled using SnS–Sn/Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes Encapsulated Carbon Fibers: A Potential Large-Scale Production Material for Ultra-stable Sodium-Ion Battery Anodes

“…However, the great volume expansion of Sn-based materials makes it difficult for them to maintain a high charge capacity in the prepared electrodes. Various strategies have been introduced to adjust the size, morphology, and composition of Sn-based materials to overcome the inherent shortcomings. , For example, ball milling has been widely used to tune the nanoscale Sn-based materials because of its industrial-scale character. , However, nanoscale particles tend to aggregate during the sodiation and desodiation, leading to the poor internal conductivity, which damages the integrity of the structure and decreases the cyclic stability. , Adding SnS as a buffer matrix is considered to be one of the effective methods to prevent the aggregation of Sn particles . In addition, SnS not only effectively disperses Sn nanoparticles but also has redox activity, which can increase the reversible capacity of the whole material …”

Surface engineering of anode materials for improving sodium-ion storage performance

“…A heterointerface is formed between two dissimilar crystalline materials through lattice-matching, such as between Sb 2 S 3 and SnS 2 , 78 84 and VO/V 2 O 3 . 66 The heterointerface between the two crystalline phases can generate a synergistic effect, which is favorable for improving the electrochemical performance of the electrode materials.…”

“…Local transformation of a primary phase into a secondary phase also leads to the formation of heterointerfaces. [81][82][83][84]87 Usually, the two phases are composed of the same elements with a good lattice match. For example, Liu and co-workers reported Fe 3 Se 4 /FeSe heterointerfaces synthesized via a gas-phase selenisation method (Fig.…”

Hydrazine Hydrate Induced Three-Dimensional Interconnected Porous Flower-like 3D-NiCo-SDBS-LDH Microspheres for High-Performance Supercapacitor

“…Several modification methods, such as thermal annealing treatment [28][29][30], acid etching [31] or alkali etching [32], NaBH 4 reduction treatment [26,33,34], and hydrazine hydrate reduction treatment [24,25,35], have been reported in previous studies to generate the defective structures in electrode materials. Among these methods, hydrazine hydrate as a mild reducer has received considerable attention.…”