Origin of Excellent Charge Storage Properties of Defective Tin Disulphide in Magnesium/Lithium-Ion Hybrid Batteries

Abstract

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are excellent electrochemical energy sources, albeit with existing challenges, including high costs and safety concerns. Magnesium-ion batteries (MIBs) are one of the potential alternatives. However, the performance of MIBs is poor due to their sluggish solid-state Mg2+ diffusion kinetics and severe electrode polarizability. Rechargeable magnesium-ion/lithium-ion (Mg2+/Li+) hybrid batteries (MLHBs) with Mg2+ and Li+ as the charge carriers create a synergy between LIBs and MIBs with significantly improved charge transport kinetics and reliable safety features. However, MLHBs are yet to reach a reasonable electrochemical performance as expected. This work reports a composite electrode material with highly defective two-dimensional (2D) tin sulphide nanosheets (SnSx) encapsulated in three-dimensional (3D) holey graphene foams (HGF) (SnSx/HGF), which exhibits a specific capacity as high as 600 mAh g−1 at 50 mA g−1 and a compelling specific energy density of ~ 330 Wh kg−1. The excellent electrochemical performance surpasses previously reported hybrid battery systems based on intercalation-type cathode materials under comparable conditions. The role played by the defects in the SnSx/HGF composite is studied to understand the origin of the observed excellent electrochemical performance. It is found that it is closely related to the defect structure in SnSx, which offers percolation pathways for efficient ion transport and increased internal surface area assessable to the charge carriers. The defective sites also absorb structural stress caused by Mg2+ and Li+ insertion. This work is an important step towards realizing high-capacity cathode materials with fast charge transport kinetics for hybrid batteries.

Review of Materials for Electrodes and Electrolytes of Lithium Batteries

“…The scale of lithium-based devices production may exhaust this material in future [110]. Lithium demand is forecast to increase by 11 times between 2020 and 2030 [111]. The key drivers are the expected transition to green and renewable energy, the ubiquity of portable electronic devices and the growing popularity of electric vehicles.…”

“…Ref. [111] reported on the development of a magnesium/lithium-ion battery with Mg 2+ and Li + as charge carriers. However, such a battery has not reached the operating electrochemical characteristics yet.…”

NiCo2O4@SnS2 nanosheets on carbon cloth as efficient bi-functional material for high performance supercapacitor and sensor applications

“…In search of efficient bifunctional material, SnS 2 is considered as a potential candidate for the construction of electrode material due to its faradic nature, availability and low cost. Besides, it acts as active sites for charge storage and provides channels for ion transport [19,20]. The exceptional properties of NiCo 2 O 4 and SnS 2 fulfill the criteria to be a bifunctional material for both energy storage and sensing applications.…”

Unlocking the Origins of Highly Reversible Lithium Storage and Stable Cycling in a Spinel High‐Entropy Oxide Anode for Lithium‐Ion Batteries

“…[23,24] In addition, the oxygen vacancies induced by multivalent cations at two different Wyckoff positions in the spinel structure can promote ionic conduction. [16,25,26] Therefore, further development of new spinel HE-TMO anodes by the rational design of active components is of great necessity. With regard to enhancing the electrochemical performance of HE-TMO anodes for LIBs, it is of critical importance to fully understand their Li storage mechanisms during live lithiation/ delithiation cycling, often at the nanometer scale.…”