In August 2024, Professor Wu Yuping’s team published a paper titled “Stable Dendrite-Free Room Temperature Sodium-Sulfur Batteries Enabled by a Novel Sodium Thiotellurate Interface” in the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition (impact factor 16.6). This study “reports a novel sodium thiotellurate interface constructed simultaneously on both the cathode and anode of Na-S batteries, aiming to address the issues of Na dendrite growth and polysulfide shuttle.” The first author of the paper is Gao Wanjie, a PhD student from Southeast University, Spring 2023 cohort.
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Research Abstract
Non-uniform sodium deposition and the polysulfide shuttle effect severely hinder the practical application of room-temperature sodium-sulfur (Na-S) batteries. In this paper, by simultaneously introducing a Na₂TeS₃ interface on both the cathode and anode, not only was sodium dendrite growth effectively suppressed, but the polysulfide shuttle effect was also mitigated. The research team designed a sodium sulfide/sodium telluride (Na₂S/Na₂Te@C) heterostructure embedded in a carbon matrix through a simple carbothermal reaction. This structure provides abundant electron/ion diffusion pathways on the cathode side, enhancing the utilization of active materials and alleviating the polysulfide shuttle. On the anode side, the formation of soluble tellurium-sulfur species ultimately constructs a dense and smooth solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer on the surface of the sodium anode, significantly improving ion transport and stabilizing sodium deposition, enabling dendrite-free sodium metal plating/stripping. These advantages allowed a no-anode battery using the Na₂S/Na₂Te@C cathode to exhibit an initial discharge capacity of up to 634 mAh g⁻¹ at a current density of 0.1 C, opening a new avenue for designing high-performance anode-free RT Na-S battery cathode materials.
Background Introduction
Room-temperature sodium-sulfur (RT Na-S) batteries, as a promising energy storage technology, have garnered significant attention due to their abundant resources, low cost, and higher theoretical energy density (1274 Wh kg⁻¹) compared to lithium-ion batteries. However, the large-scale application of these batteries is hindered by sulfur’s low electrical conductivity, significant volume changes, and slow redox kinetics, which result in low sulfur utilization and short cycle life. In addition, the shuttle effect of sodium polysulfides (NaPSs) in the electrolyte leads to the formation of an unstable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer, causing rapid degradation of the sodium anode, electrolyte decomposition, and even potential safety risks. Therefore, improving sulfur cathode materials and sodium metal anodes to enhance their electrochemical reversibility and cycling stability is a key challenge for realizing the practical application of RT Na-S batteries.
Key Highlights
A novel sodium thiotellurate (Na₂TeS₃) interface was simultaneously constructed on both the cathode and anode of the RT Na-S battery to address both sodium dendrite growth and the polysulfide shuttle effect.
Picture analysis
Figure 1. Theoretical CalculationsThe calculations verify the potential advantages of the Na₂S/Na₂Te@C heterostructure in enhancing electronic conductivity and accelerating the sodium-sulfur electrochemical reactions.
Figure 2. Material Design StrategyThis figure illustrates the preparation process of Na₂S/Na₂Te@C and provides a schematic representation of its electrochemical performance mechanism in room-temperature Na-S batteries.
Figure 3. Material Physical CharacterizationThis figure highlights the morphology and structural advantages of Na₂S/Na₂Te@C.
Figure 4. Electrochemical PerformanceThis figure displays the electrochemical performance testing results of the Na₂S/Na₂Te@C cathode material, including constant current charge-discharge curves, cycling performance, cycling stability with different active material loadings, and the cycling stability of the anode-free battery.
Figure 5. Sodium Storage Mechanism AnalysisIn situ XRD and ToF-SIMS depth profiles reveal the formation of the Na₂TeS₃ interface on the cathode.
Figure 6. Interface Chemistry on the Sodium Anode SurfaceThis figure demonstrates the ability of Na₂TeS₃ to form a protective layer on the sodium anode surface, which suppresses sodium dendrite growth and enhances the reversibility of sodium plating/stripping.
Research summary
The research team addressed the issues of sodium dendrite growth and polysulfide shuttle by constructing a novel sodium thiotellurate (Na₂TeS₃) interface on both the cathode and anode of sodium-sulfur batteries. On the cathode side, the in situ generated Na₂TeS₃ interface significantly lowered the activation energy barrier of Na₂S, enhancing the electrochemical activity for sodium-sulfur redox reactions, thus improving Na₂S utilization and suppressing the polysulfide shuttle effect. On the anode side, the migration of tellurium-containing species to the sodium anode formed a sulfur-rich ternary solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer, which aids in achieving reversible sodium deposition and dendrite-free sodium metal plating/stripping. As a result, the Na₂S/Na₂Te@C cathode exhibited a high initial capacity of 652 mAh g⁻¹ at a current density of 0.1 C and demonstrated excellent cycling stability over 700 cycles at a current density of 1 C. Moreover, the anode-free battery using the Na₂S/Na₂Te@C cathode achieved an exceptionally high initial discharge capacity of 634 mAh g⁻¹ at 0.1 C, providing a new direction for designing high-performance anode-free RT Na-S battery cathode materials.
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