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With their advantages of abundant raw material reserves, safety, and low toxicity and cost, sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) have gained increasing attention in recent years. Thanks to a high theoretical specific capacity (124 mAh g−1), a high operating voltage (about 3.2 V), and a very stable three-dimensional layered structure, sodium ferric fluorophosphate (Na2FePO4F, NFPF) has emerged as a strong candidate to be used as a cathode material for SIBs. However, applications are currently limited due to the low electronic conductivity and slow ion diffusion rate of NFPF, which result in a low actual specific capacity and a high rate performance. In this study, the authors used a high-temperature solid-phase technique to produce Na2−xLixFePO4F/C (0 ≤ x ≤ 2) and evaluated the impact on electrode performance of materials with different Na+ and Li+ contents (values of x). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were also used to analyze the material's crystal structure and nanostructure. The results show that the material had the best room-temperature performance when x = 0.5. At a charge–discharge rate of 0.1 C, the first discharge-specific capacity of the resulting Na1.5Li0.5FePO4F/C cathode material was 122.9 mAh g−1 (the theoretical capacity was 124 mAh g−1), and after 100 cycles, it remained at 118 mAh g−1, representing a capacity retention rate of 96.2% and a Coulomb efficiency of 98%. The findings of this study demonstrate that combining lithium and sodium ions improves the electrochemical performance of electrode materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The heterostructures, xNa0.7MnO2–yLi4Mn5O12(0 < x < 1, 0 < y ≤ 1), were synthesized by a solid-phase method. X-Ray diffraction (XRD) analyses revealed that the as-prepared samples were heterostructures Na0.7MnO2 and Li4Mn5O12. Electron microscopy was used to study the lattice fingerprint area of 0.6Na0.7MnO2–0.4Li4Mn5O12 that showed (111) crystal surface of Li4Mn5O12 and (002) crystal surface of Na0.7MnO2. With different molar ratios of lithium and sodium, Li4Mn5O12 and Na0.7MnO2 in the formed heterostructure will change accordingly, during the synthesis process. The XPS data also showed that Mn3+/Mn4+ in the materials presented different ratios. The heterostructure, 0.6Na0.7MnO2–0.4Li4Mn5O12, exhibits superior high-rate capability and excellent cycle performance. The rate discharge capacity of 0.6Na0.7MnO2–0.4Li4Mn5O12 was maintained at 163.25 mA h g−1 at 500 mA g−1. When cycled at 100 mA g−1, the discharge capacity was maintained at 189.80 mA h g−1 after 50 cycles. The construction of heterostructure can take the advantage of the high capacity of the layered structure of Na0.7MnO2 and the stable spinel structure of Li4Mn5O12, which can form a synergistic effect and improve the electrochemical performance of cathode materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Herein, a series of lithium‐sodium hybrid ion Na3−xLixV2(PO4)3/C (x = 2.5, 2.0, 1.5, 1.0, 0.5) as cathode materials are prepared by sol‐gel method. The lithium storage properties of Na3−xLixV2(PO4)3/C reveal that the lithium sodium ratio has a strong influence on material structure and the electrochemical properties. The multiple voltage platforms are observed at charge and discharge curve for the Na0.5Li2.5V2(PO4)3 material, as it contains rhombohedral and monoclinic Li3V2(PO4)3 phases, whereas a single voltage platform can be observed when x is less than 2, which are mixtures of Na3V2(PO4)3 with rhombohedral structure and Li3V2(PO4)3 with rhombohedral structure. Notably, NaLi2V2(PO4)3/C prepared by the calcination at 700°C for 8 hours contains a single rhombohedral phase. And when the charging and discharging voltage at the range 2.5 to 4.5 V and current density at 0.5C, NaLi2V2(PO4)3/C and Na2.5Li0.5V2(PO4)3/C are prepared by the pre‐calcination at 400°C for 4 hours and subsequent calcination at 750°C for 8 hours exhibit high first‐cycle specific discharge capacities of 124.8 and 130.0 mAh·g−1. The capacities are 118.4 and 115.1 mAh·g−1 after 50 cycles, indicating excellent capacity retention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]