Comparative structural and electrochemical properties of mixed P2/O′3-layered sodium nickel manganese oxide prepared by sol–gel and electrospinning methods: Effect of Na-excess content

Abstract

The effect of Na-excess content in the precursor on the structural and electrochemical performances of sodium nickel manganese oxide (NNMO) prepared by sol–gel and electrospinning methods is investigated in this paper. X-ray diffraction results of the prepared NNMO without adding Na-excess content indicate sodium loss, while the mixed phase of P2/O′3-type layered NNMO presented after adding Na-excess content. Compared with the sol–gel method, the secondary phase of NiO is more suppressed by using the electrospinning method, which is further confirmed by field emission scanning electron microscope images. N₂ adsorption–desorption isotherms show no remarkably difference in specific surface areas between different preparation methods and Na-excess contents. The analysis of X-ray absorption near edge structure indicates that the oxidation states of Ni and Mn are +2 and +4, respectively. For the electrochemical properties, superior electrochemical performance is observed in the NNMO electrode with a low Na-excess content of 5wt%. The highest specific capacitance is 36.07 F·g⁻¹ at 0.1 A·g⁻¹ in the NNMO electrode prepared by using the sol–gel method. By contrast, the NNMO electrode prepared using the electrospinning method with decreased Na-excess content shows excellent cycling stability of 100% after charge–discharge measurements for 300 cycles. Therefore, controlling the Na excess in the precursor together with the preparation method is important for improving the electrochemical performance of Na-based electrode materials in supercapacitors.

Keywords

sodium nickel manganese oxide / mixed P2/O′3-type / Na-excess content / sol–gel method / electrospinning method / electrochemical properties

References

[1] Z. Cheng, H. Pan, F. Li, et al., Achieving long cycle life for all-solid-state rechargeable Li-I2 battery by a confined dissolution strategy, Nat. Commun., 13(2022), art. No. 125.

[2] H.H. Sun, U.H. Kim, J.H. Park, et al., Transition metal-doped Ni-rich layered cathode materials for durable Li-ion batteries, Nat. Commun., 12(2021), art. No. 6552.

[3] M.Z. Chen, Y.Y. Zhang, G.C. Xing, and Y.X. Tang, Building high power density of sodium-ion batteries: Importance of multidimensional diffusion pathways in cathode materials, Front. Chem., 8(2020), art. No. 152.

[4] K. Liu, Y.Y. Liu, D.C. Lin, A. Pei, and Y. Cui, Materials for lithium-ion battery safety, Sci. Adv., 4(2018), No. 6, art. No. eaas9820.

[5] L.N. Chen, Y.M. Zhang, C.Y. Hao, et al., Interlayer engineering of K_xMnO₂ enables superior alkali metal ion storage for advanced hybrid capacitors, ChemElectroChem, 9(2022), No. 12, art. No. e202200059.

[6] Z.N. Tian, Y.G. Zou, G. Liu, Y.Z. Wang, J. Yin, J. Ming, and H.N. Alshareef, Electrolyte solvation structure design for sodium ion batteries, Adv. Sci., 9(2022), No. 22, art. No. 2201207.

[7] Gonzalo E, Zarrabeitia M, Drewett NE, López del Amo JM, Rojo T. Sodium manganese-rich layered oxides: Potential candidates as positive electrode for Sodium-ion batteries. Energy Storage Mater., 2021, 34, 682.

[8] S. Biswas, A. Chowdhury, and A. Chandra, Performance of Na-ion supercapacitors under non-ambient conditions—From temperature to magnetic field dependent variation in specific capacitance, Front. Mater., 6(2019), art. No. 54.

[9] A. Chowdhury, S. Biswas, D. Mandal, and A. Chandra, Facile strategy of using conductive additive supported NaMnPO₄ nanoparticles for delivering high performance Na-ion supercapacitors, J. Alloys Compd., 902(2022), art. No. 163733.

[10] Xu WN, Wan J, Huo WC, et al. Sodium ions pre-intercalation stabilized tunnel structure of Na₂Mn₈O₁₆ nanorods for supercapacitors with long cycle life. Chem. Eng. J., 2018, 354, 1050.

[11] Simon P, Gogotsi Y. Perspectives for electrochemical capacitors and related devices. Nat. Mater., 2020, 19(11): 1151.

[12] Q.H. Shi, R.J. Qi, X.C. Feng, et al., Niobium-doped layered cathode material for high-power and low-temperature sodium-ion batteries, Nat. Commun., 13(2022), art. No. 3205.

[13] Hu B, Geng FS, Zhao C, et al. Deciphering the origin of high electrochemical performance in a novel Ti-substituted P2/O3 biphasic cathode for sodium-ion batteries. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 2020, 12(37): 41485.

[14] Jiang KZ, Zhang XP, Li HY, et al. Suppressed the highvoltage phase transition of P2-type oxide cathode for high-performance sodium-ion batteries. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 2019, 11(16): 14848.

[15] M. Keller, D. Buchholz, and S. Passerini, Layered Na-ion cathodes with outstanding performance resulting from the synergetic effect of mixed P- and O-type phases, Adv. Energy Mater., 6(2016), No. 3, art. No. 1501555.

[16] Liu ZG, Jiang KZ, Chu SY, et al. Integrating P2 into O′3 toward a robust Mn-based layered cathode for sodium-ion batteries. J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020, 8(45): 23820.

[17] Veerasubramani GK, Subramanian Y, Park MS, et al. Enhanced sodium-ion storage capability of P2/O3 biphase by Li-ion substitution into P2-type Na_0.5Fe_0.5Mn_0.5O₂ layered cathode. Electrochim. Acta, 2019, 296, 1027.

[18] Guo SH, Liu P, Yu HJ, et al. A layered P2- and O₃-Type composite as a high-energy cathode for rechargeable sodium-ion batteries. Angew. Chem., 2015, 127(20): 5992.

[19] F. Fu, X. Liu, X.G. Fu, et al., Entropy and crystal-facet modulation of P2-type layered cathodes for long-lasting sodium-based batteries, Nat. Commun., 13(2022), art. No. 2826.

[20] Pandit B, Rondiya SR, Dzade NY, et al. High stability and long cycle life of rechargeable sodium-ion battery using manganese oxide cathode: A combined density functional theory (DFT) and experimental study. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 2021, 13(9): 11433.

[21] Qiu B, Wang J, Xia YG, et al. Effects of Na+ contents on electrochemical properties of Li_1.2Ni_0.13Co_0.13Mn_0.54O₂ cathode materials. J. Power Sources, 2013, 240, 530.

[22] Huang Q, He PG, Xiao L, et al. Effect of sodium content on the electrochemical performance of Li-substituted, manganese-based, sodium-ion layered oxide cathodes. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 2020, 12(2): 2191.

[23] Yang LF, Chen C, Xiong S, et al. Multiprincipal component P2-Na_0.6(Ti_0.2Mn_0.2Co_0.2Ni_0.2Ru_0.2)O₂ as a high-rate cathode for sodium-ion batteries. JACS Au, 2021, 1(1): 98.

[24] Yuan DD, Wang YX, Cao YL, Ai XP, Yang HX. Improved electrochemical performance of Fe-substituted NaNi_0.5Mn_0.5O₂ cathode materials for sodium-ion batteries. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 2015, 7(16): 8585.

[25] Petříček V, Dušek M, Palatinus L. Crystallographic computing system JANA2006: General features. Z. Kristallogr., 2014, 229(5): 345.

[26] L.F. Pfeiffer, N. Jobst, C. Gauckler, et al., Layered P2-Na_xMn_3/4Ni_1/4O₂ cathode materials for sodium-ion batteries: Synthesis, electrochemistry and influence of ambient storage, Front. Energy Res., 10(2022), art. No. 910842.

[27] Zhou CJ, Yang LC, Zhou CG, et al. Co-substitution enhances the rate capability and stabilizes the cyclic performance of O3-Type cathode NaNi_0.45−xMn_0.25Ti_0.3Co_xO₂ for sodium-ion storage at high voltage. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 2019, 11(8): 7906.

[28] Huang ZJ, Wang ZX, Zheng XB, et al. Structural and electrochemical properties of Mg-doped nickel based cathode materials LiNi_0.6Co_0.2Mn_0.2−xMg_xO₂ for lithium ion batteries. RSC Adv., 2015, 5(108): 88773.

[29] Wang LG, Wang JJ, Zhang XY, et al. Unravelling the origin of irreversible capacity loss in NaNiO₂ for high voltage sodium ion batteries. Nano Energy, 2017, 34, 215.

[30] Dang RB, Chen MM, Li Q, et al. Na⁺-conductive Na₂Ti₃O₇-modified P2-type Na_2/3Ni_1/3Mn_2/3O₂ via a smart in situ coating approach: Suppressing Na⁺/vacancy ordering and P2–O2 phase transition. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 2019, 11(1): 856.

[31] Wang GX, Xiao W, Yu JG. High-efficiency dye-sensitized solar cells based on electrospun TiO₂ multi-layered composite film photoanodes. Energy, 2015, 86, 196.

[32] Zhang F, Liu HC, Wu ZF, et al. Polyacrylamide gel-derived nitrogen-doped carbon foam yields high performance in supercapacitor electrodes. ACS Appl. Energy Mater., 2021, 4(7): 6719.

[33] Risthaus T, Chen LF, Wang J, et al. P3 Na_0.9Ni_0.5Mn_0.5O₂ cathode material for sodium ion batteries. Chem. Mater., 2019, 31(15): 5376.

[34] L.Q. Mai, H. Li, Y.L. Zhao, et al., Fast ionic diffusion-enabled nanoflake electrode by spontaneous electrochemical pre-intercalation for high-performance supercapacitor, Sci. Rep., 3(2013), art. No. 1718.

[35] A. Singh and A. Chandra, Enhancing specific energy and power in asymmetric supercapacitors - A synergetic strategy based on the use of redox additive electrolytes, Sci. Rep., 6(2016), art. No. 25793.

[36] Birgisson S, Christiansen TL, Iversen BB. Exploration of phase compositions, crystal structures, and electrochemical properties of Na_xFe_y,Mn_1−yO₂ sodium ion battery materials. Chem. Mater., 2018, 30(19): 6636.

[37] Jiang MD, Qian GN, Liao XZ, et al. Revisiting the capacity-fading mechanism of P2-type sodium layered oxide cathode materials during high-voltage cycling. J. Energy Chem., 2022, 69, 16.

[38] Q.L. Fan, K.J. Lin, S.D. Yang, et al., Constructing effective TiO₂ nano-coating for high-voltage Ni-rich cathode materials for lithium ion batteries by precise kinetic control, J. Power Sources, 477(2020), art. No. 228745.

[39] Y.J. Zhang, K. Du, Y.B. Cao, et al., Hydrothermal preparing agglomerate LiNi_0.8Co_0.1Mn_0.1O₂ cathode material with submicron primary particle for alleviating microcracks, J. Power Sources, 477(2020), art. No. 228701.