Enabling nickel ferrocyanide nanoparticles for high-performance ammonium ion storage

Abstract

Prussian blue and its analogs are extensively investigated as a cathode for ammonium-ion batteries. However, they often suffer from poor electronic conductivity. Here, we report a Ni₂Fe(CN)₆/multiwalled carbon nanotube composite electrode material, which is prepared using a simple coprecipitation approach. The obtained material consists of nanoparticles with sizes 30–50 nm and the multiwalled carbon nanotube embedded in it. The existence of multiwalled carbon nanotube ensures that the Ni₂Fe(CN)₆/multiwalled carbon nanotube composite shows excellent electrochemical performance, achieving a discharge capacity of 55.1 mAh·g^–1 at 1 C and 43.2 mAh·g^–1 even at 15 C. An increase in the ammonium-ion diffusion coefficient and ionic/electron conductivity based on kinetic investigations accounts for their high performance. Furthermore, detailed ex situ characterizations demonstrate that Ni₂Fe(CN)₆/multiwalled carbon nanotube composite offers three advantages: negligible lattice expansion during cycling, stable structure, and the reversible redox couple. Therefore, the Ni₂Fe(CN)₆/multiwalled carbon nanotube composite presents a long cycling life and high rate capacity. Finally, our study reports a desirable material for ammonium-ion batteries and provides a practical approach for improving the electrochemical performance of Prussian blue and its analogs.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

nickel ferrocyanides / NH₄⁺ / electrochemistry / Prussian blue / aqueous ammonium ion batteries

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Acknowledgments

This work is supported by NSAF joint Fund (Grant No. U1830106), National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. U1632114), Science and Technology Innovation 2025 Major Program of Ningbo (Grant No. 2018B10061), and K.C. Wong Magna Fund in Ningbo University.

Electronic Supplementary Material

Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11705-022-2198-3 and is accessible for authorized users.

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