In situ Cu doping of ultralarge CoSe nanosheets with accelerated electronic migration for superior sodium-ion storage

Abstract

The progress of sodium-ion batteries is currently confronted with a noteworthy obstacle, specifically the paucity of electrode materials that can store large quantities of Na⁺ in a reversible fashion while maintaining competitiveness. Herein, ultrafast and long-life sodium storage of metal selenides is rationally demonstrated by employing micron-sized nanosheets (Cu-CoSe@NC) through electron accumulation engineering. The nanosheet structure proves to be effective in reducing the transport distance of sodium ions. Furthermore, the addition of Cu ions enhances the electron conductivity of CoSe and accelerates charge delocalization. As an anode for sodium-ion batteries, Cu-CoSe@NC exhibits a noticeably enhanced specific capacity of 527.2 mA h g⁻¹ at 1.0 A g⁻¹ after 100 cycles. Additionally, Cu-CoSe@NC maintains a capacity of 428.5 mA h g⁻¹ at 5.0 A g⁻¹ after 800 cycles. It is possible to create sodium-ion full batteries with a high energy density of 101.1 W h kg⁻¹. The superior sodium storage performance of Cu-CoSe@NC is attributed to the high pseudo-capacitance and diffusion control mechanisms, as evidenced by theoretical calculations and ex situ measurements.