Mechanochemical Synthesis of N and S Dual-Doped Carbonaceous Anodes for Lithium-/Sodium-Ion Batteries

Abstract

With the rapidly growing demands for green energy sources, the development of high-performance anode materials for rechargeable alkali-ion batteries has received significant attention. In this investigation, nitrogen and sulfur dual-doped porous carbonaceous materials derived from sulfur black (SB) dye were prepared using a sustainable and facile mechanochemical process. Sulfur black dye/graphite compounds at a weight ratio of 7:3 were subjected to ball milling for 48 h (SBG70-48h) and used as anode materials for both lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). In LIBs, the SBG70-48h anodes afforded a high rate capability (672 mAh g-1 at a current density of 0.1 A g-1) and good cycle performance (274 mAh g-1 at the current density of 1 A g-1 after the 400th cycle). In addition, the SBG70-48h anodes also exhibited enhanced rate capability (282 mAh g-1 at the current density of 0.05 A g-1) and superior cycle stability (208 mAh g-1 at a current density of 0.1 A g-1 after 200th cycle) in SIBs. The improved electrochemical performance could be attributed to the nitrogen and sulfur dual-doped porous microstructure, which provides additional active sites and enhances the electrochemical kinetics. This work provides an effective methodology to prepare sustainable and high-performance carbonaceous materials utilizing organic dyes.