Trace Yb-doped P2-type Na0.67Ni0.33Mn0.67O2 as a zero-strain cathode material for sodium-ion storage
摘要
P2-type Na0.67Mn0.67Ni0.33O2 (NNMO) is a promising candidate cathode material for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). However, the P2‒O2 phase transition occurring upon high voltage operation will lead to large lattice distortion and huge volume variation, which result in poor rate capability and cycling stability. Herein, the Yb-doped materials including Na0.67Ni0.33Mn0.65Yb0.03O2 (NNMO-Yb0.03) and Na0.67Ni0.33Mn0.63Yb0.05O2 (NNMO-Yb0.05) have been synthesized. The doping Yb3+ ions could suppress the P2‒O2 phase transition at high voltages and improve the structural stability during electrochemical cycling. Notably, the NNMO-Yb0.03 cathode demonstrates zero-strain feature with minimal volume change (∆V = 0.78%) during the charge/discharge cycle. Compared to NNMO, the Yb-doped cathodes show much enhanced rate performance and cycling stability. In particular, the NNMO-Yb0.03 cathode exhibits a higher reversible capacity of 129 mAh g–1, superior rate capability of 70 mAh g–1 at 20 C, and 82.3% capacity retention after 500 cycles at 3 C. The results offer valuable insights into the layered oxide cathode materials with zero-strain behavior for Na-ion storage.