NiSb/nitrogen-doped carbon derived from Ni-based framework as advanced anode for lithium-ion batteries

This work can prove that the NiSb alloy embedded in nitrogen-doped carbon material (NiSb/C-2) which was prepared by citric acid as surfactant and carbon source exhibits good reaction stability and a high electron/ion transport rate. Due to NiSb/C-2 has a high carbon layer defect degree, specific surface area, and pseudo-capacitance contribution rate, and low charge transfer resistance, it displayed excellent electrochemical performance as the anode of lithium-ion batteries. This synthesis strategy can provide a new idea for the preparation of high-performance antimony-based anode materials. [Display omitted] Antimony anode has attracted much attention owing to its low lithium-embedded platform and high specific capacity. However, the dramatic volume expansion during the insertion and detachment of Li+ seriously affects its application in lithium-ion batteries. In this work, NiSb alloy embedded in nitrogen-doped carbon (NiSb/C) derived from a Ni-based framework was synthesized by a simple hydrothermal reaction followed by annealing treatment. NiSb alloy nanoparticles could alleviate significant volume expansion during lithium/delithiation owing to the good buffering action of Ni. Nitrogen-doped carbon provides abundant active sites for Li+ and serves as a conductive network to accelerate electron transport. Moreover, the uniformly dispersed NiSb alloy particles and the nitrogen-doped carbon can effectively cooperate to retain the structural completeness of antimony, which promotes the cycling stability and high-rate performance of the NiSb/C anode. At a high density of 2 A g−1, the prepared NiSb/C anode exhibits a reversible specific capacity of 426 mAh g−1 after 450 cycles. It can also exhibit a superior rate capability of 387 mAh g−1 at 5.0 A g−1, which can provide a possibility for designing new anode materials for rechargeable batteries.