Pb nanospheres encapsulated in metal–organic frameworks-derived porous carbon as anode for high-performance sodium-ion batteries.

Pb metallic nanospheres embedded within conductive carbon frameworks (Pb@C) are prepared by a facile coprecipitation and pyrolysis method using MOFs as the precursor and template. The Pb@C electrode presents a high reversible capacity of 379.1 mAh/g at 2 A/g and capacity retention of 88.2% after 6000 cycles, corresponding to a capacity loss of 0.00748% per cycle. [Display omitted] Alloying-type anode materials are considered promising candidates for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) due to their high theoretical capacities. However, their application is limited by the severe capacity decay stemming from dramatic volume changes during Na+ insertion/extraction processes. Here, Pb nanospheres encapsulated in a carbon skeleton (Pb@C) were successfully synthesized via a facile metal–organic frameworks (MOFs)-derived method and used as anodes for SIBs. The nanosized Pb particles are uniformly incorporated into the porous carbon framework, effectively mitigating volume changes and enhancing Na+ ion transport during discharging/charging. Benefiting from this unique architecture, a reversible capacity of 334.2 mAh g−1 at 2 A g−1 is achieved after 6000 cycles corresponding to an impressive 88.2 % capacity retention and a minimal capacity loss of 0.00748 % per cycle. Furthermore, a high-performance full sodium-ion battery of Pb@C//NVPF was constructed, demonstrating a high energy density of 291 Wh kg−1 and power density of 175 W kg−1. This facile MOFs-derived method offers insights into the design of high-capacity alloy-type anode materials using Pb sources, opening up new possibilities for innovative approaches to Pb recycling and pollution prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]