Abstract
Cu2Sb thin films prepared by magnetron sputtering are evaluated as an anode material for Na-ion batteries. The starting material is composed of nanocrystallites with the desired tetragonal P4/nmm structure. The study of the reaction mechanism reveals the formation of an amorphous/nanocrystalline phase of composition close to Na3Sb as the final reaction product. The solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) material is mostly composed of carbonates (Na2CO3, NaCO3R) and possibly ethers. The Cu2Sb anode possesses moderate capacity retention with a reversible storage capacity (250 mAh/g or 2100 mAh/cm3) close to the theoretical value (323 mAh/g), an average reaction potential of around 0.55 V vs. Na/Na+, and a high rate performance (10 C-rate).
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 168-171 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Electrochemistry Communications |
| Volume | 27 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Feb 2013 |
Funding
This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Basic Energy Sciences (BES), Materials Sciences and Engineering Division (work at U. Texas under award number DE-SC0005397), and through a SEM user project supported by ORNL's Shared Research Equipment (ShaRE) User Program, which is also supported by DOE-BES. EA and AM prepared the Cu 2 Sb powder. LB and GMV designed the experiments and conducted the fabrication and characterization of the thin film electrodes.
Keywords
- Copper antimony (CuSb) anodes
- Na Sb composition
- Thin film electrodes
- X-ray diffraction (XRD)
- X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS)