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Due to their high specific capacity and long cycle life, bimetallic sulfides are the preferred choice of researchers as anodes in sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). However, studies indicate that this class of materials often requires expensive elements such as Co, Sb, Sn, etc., and their performance is insufficient with the use of inexpensive Fe, V alone. Therefore, there is a need to explore the relationship between metal cations and anode performance so that the requirements of cost reduction and performance enhancement can be met simultaneously. In this work, a series of partially replaced sulfides with different cation ratios have been prepared by a hydrothermal method followed by heat treatment. By partially replacing Co in NiCo sulfides, all samples show improved capacity and stability over the original NiCo sulfides. As a result, the metal elements have different oxidation states, which leads to a higher capacity through their synergistic effects on each other. Mn-NiCoS with 10% replacement showed satisfactory capacity (721.09 mAh g−1 at 300 mA g−1, 662.58 mAh g−1 after 20 cycles) and excellent cycle life (85.41% capacity retention after 1000 cycles at 2000 mA g−1).

As a potential anode material for potassium-ion batteries (PIBs), bimetallic sulfides are favored by researchers for their high specific capacity, low cost, and long cycle life. However, the non-ideal diffusion rate and poor cycle stability pose significant challenges in practical applications. In this work, bimetallic sulfide CuSbSy@C with a yolk-shell structure was synthesized by in situ precipitation and carbonization. When CuSbSy is applied in the anode of PIBs, it can provide the desired capacity and reduce the volume expansion of the compound through the synergistic effect between copper and antimony. At the same time, the existence of the nitrogen-doped carbon shell confines the material within the shell while improving its electrical conductivity, inhibiting its volume expansion and aggregation. Therefore, CuSbSy@C exhibits a satisfactory capacity (438.8 mAh g−1 at 100 mA g−1 after 60 cycles) and an excellent long cycle life (174.5 mAh g−1 at 1000 mA g−1 after 1000 cycles).