Properties of the zero-phase transition in Mn-rich
P2-Na0.67(Ni0.1Mn0.8Fe0.1)1-xMgxO2 cathodes for rapid and stable sodium
storage
Abstract
Ni/Mn/Fe-ternary cathode is highly regarded as a potential option for
sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) due to its low cost and high theoretical
capacity. Nonetheless, the cycling stability was hindered by the
occurrence of high voltage phase transitions. In this work,
Na0.67(Ni0.1Mn0.8Fe0.1)1-xMgxO2 (NaNMF-Mgx) cathode materials with
high-voltage zero-phase transitions property were successfully
synthesized. And the element Mg was firstly found to have the potential
to eliminate high-pressure phase transitions in Ni/Mn/Fe-ternary
systems. By employing the Mg-doping strategy, there were a valuable
strengthening in the occupancy of stabler Nae sites. And the calculation
highlighted the excellent structural stability and conductivity of
NaNMF-Mg0.04, which has the lowest thermodynamic formation energy and a
narrow band gap. Moreover, ex-situ XRD and ADF-STEM certified that
NaNMF-Mg0.04 cathode maintained an intact P2 phase structure during
high-voltage charging process, which was different from previous
reports. The “zero-phase transitions” effect enabled NaNMF-Mg0.04
cathode to express remarkable initial capacitance (119.5 mAh g-1, 0.1C)
and stability (80.0 % over 200 cycles). These findings further declared
that it was feasible to design novel Ni/Mn/Fe-ternary cathodes with
zero-phase transitions property, which might open up a new idea for
popularizing cost-effective Ni/Mn/Fe-ternary cathode material systems in
the future.