Synthesis of rod‐like Sb2Se3@MWCNT as Conductive‐additive free Anode for Sodium‐ion Batteries

Abstract

Antimony selenide (Sb2Se3) is a promising electrode material for sodium‐ion batteries (SIBs) due to its high theoretical capacity. However, volume expansion during sodiation/desodiation and the low conductivity of Sb2Se3 reduce the electrochemical performance. Herein, we synthesized Sb2Se3 nanorods (NRs) and combined them with multi‐walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) using one‐step composite process to address these issues. MWCNTs can accommodate volume expansion and provide high conductivity. The fabricated Sb2Se3 NRs@MWCNT electrode exhibits improved cycle performance and cyclic stability without additional conductive carbons. The Sb2Se3 NRs@MWCNT electrode showed an enhanced specific capacity of 440 mAhg‐1 at a current density of 0.1 Ag‐1, compared to 220 mAhg‐1 for Sb2Se3 NRs electrode. Additionally, it exhibited good stability at high current density. The in‐situ electrochemical impedance spectroscope (EIS) and Galvanostatic intermittent titration technique (GITT) were used to estimate the electrochemical properties and kinetics of Sb2Se3 NRs@MWCNT. These results showed that Sb2Se3 NRs@MWCNT have the potential for conductive‐free anode material in SIBs.