Design of the Particle Size and Morphology of Hard Carbon Anode Materials for Sodium-Ion Batteries Through Hydrothermal Carbonization

With sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) finding widespread application, the demand grows for hard carbon, the most popular anode material for SIBs. Hydrothermal carbonization facilitates the production of hard carbon with desired characteristics from various sources. Despite the considerable volume of literature addressing this subject, there is a notable absence of investigations elucidating the relationship between synthesis conditions and the electrochemical characteristics of the product. Here we study systematically the influence of hydrothermal carbonization parameters on hard carbon characteristics and emphasize the potential of hard carbon as an anode material for SIBs. The initial Coulombic efficiency (ICE) is significantly affected by the particle size of the glucose-derived hard carbon, which, in turn, depends on glucose concentration in the initial solution, pH, and stirring regime. By optimizing the hydrothermal carbonization parameters, the ICE up to 91% and a good reversible capacity of ∼300 mAh g−1in a half cell are achieved. Full cells with Na3(VO)2(PO4)2F cathode material demonstrate ICE of about 80% and reversible capacity of up to 100 mAh g−1cath. Considering the effective performance of pouch-cell SIB prototypes based on Na3(VO)2(PO4)2F and hard carbon, hydrothermal carbonization of glucose yields hard carbon with the necessary characteristics required for its successful application in SIBs.