Synthesis and performance of lithium/sodium iron-based silicate cathode prepared by a facile vibratory ball milling-assisted solid-phase method
摘要
Designing hybrid battery systems based on Li/Na coexisting silicate framework with synergized lithium’s high energy density with sodium’s economic advantages is still challenging. Herein, a series of Li2-xNaxFeSiO4 (where x = 0, 0.25, 0.5, and 1.0) cathode materials were constructed through vibratory ball milling-assisted solid-state synthesis. The optimized sample at the composition x = 0.25 showed a single-phase monoclinic P21-Li2FeSiO4 phase, with exceptional electrochemical performances. By contrast, higher sodium contents (x ≥ 0.5) resulted in dual-phase mixtures of Na2FeSiO4 and Li2FeSiO4, along with some undesirable impurities of Li5FeO4 and Na6Si2O7. The electrochemical characterization revealed that the introduction of sodium ions in the deintercalation reaction increased the interfacial charge transfer resistance (Rct) due to the Na+ barrier, but also significantly improved the Li+ diffusion coefficient (DLi⁺), suitable for enhancing ionic utilization efficiency for an optimized specific capacity. Overall, strategically incorporating sodium at lithium sites can effectively increase the storage capacity while reducing dependence on lithium resources for economical energy storage devices.