Unveiling binary transition metal selenides with carbon aerogel veil for superior and safe lithium ion/sodium ion battery

Unveiling binary transition metal selenides with carbon aerogel veil for superior and safe lithium ion/sodium ion battery

The enhancement of electrochemical performance in lithium-ion and sodium-ion batteries (LIBs/SIBs) is often associated with an increased risk of thermal runaway (TR). Addressing the trade-off between thermal safety and electrochemical performance has become urgent. We designed binary transition metal selenides coated with a carbon aerogel veil (NiCoSe@GC) as an anode material. The porous structure significantly increases the surface area of the anode and improves the electrochemical performance, while enhancing the thermal conductivity of the battery to further improve safety. When substituting graphite with NiCoSe@GC, the maximum temperature rise rate of the LIBs half-cell decreases from 129.4 to 25.1 °C/min, while the TR activation energy (Ea) of the LIBs full cell increases from 0.63 to 1.07 eV. Similarly, the Ea of the SIBs half-cell is improved by 450.0 %. The incorporation of NiCoSe@GC significantly reduces the thermal runaway hazard in LIBs/SIBs. Furthermore, the use of NiCoSe@GC allows both LIBs and SIBs to achieve superior electrochemical performance. Specifically, the SIBs cell with NiCoSe@GC demonstrates a high initial capacity of 760.1 mAh g−1, which decreases to only 477.1 mAh g−1 upon adjusting the current density to 1 A g−1. In summary, this work presents an anode with porous structure that simultaneously enhances the safety and electrochemical performance of batteries, providing valuable insights for achieving safe and efficient energy storage through anode design.

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