Structural Control of Electrodeposited Sb Anodes through Solution Additives and Their Influence on Electrochemical Performance in Na-Ion Batteries

Alloy-based materials such as antimony (Sb) are of interest for both Li/Na-ion batteries due to their high theoretical capacity and electronic conductivity. Of the various ways to fabricate Sb films (slurry casting, sputtering, etc.) one promising route is through electrodeposition. Electrodeposition is an industrially relevant synthetic technique that allows for the use of solution additives to control different characteristics such as film uniformity, morphology, and electrical conductivity. Solution additives such as cetyltrimethyl­ammonium bromide (CTAB) and bis­(3-sulfopropyl) disulfide (SPS) have been used to control different characteristics such as particle morphology and electrical conductivity in various electrodeposits but have not been applied to the electrodeposition of Sb for battery applications. In this study, Sb films were electrodeposited with varied concentrations of CTAB and SPS and the structure, morphology, composition, and electrochemical performance in Na-ion batteries were compared. We report that CTAB and SPS additives can significantly influence electrodeposited Sb films by altering the morphology and reduce the crystallinity, affecting the electrochemical performance. These studies provide valuable insight into the tunability of alloy-based films through electrodeposition and solution additives for battery applications.