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Intrinsic effects of precursor functional groups on the Na storage performance in carbon anodes

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Abstract

The oxygen-containing functional groups in disordered carbon anodes have been widely reported to influence the Na storage performance. However, the effect of original oxygen-containing groups in the precursors on the final structures and electrochemical performance is rarely studied. Herein, we used the anthraquinone derivatives with different oxygen-containing functional groups as precursors to make the disordered carbon anodes for Na-ion batteries (NIBs). Through comprehensive structural and electrochemical analyses, we found that the different types of functional groups in carbon precursors directly affect the cross-linking process during carbonization. The original precursors containing enough inter-chain oxygen or oxygen-containing functional groups with unsaturated bonds unattached to the ring are beneficial for the oxygen atoms to remain or cross-link in structure to result in more C–O–C group, forming nanovoids and disordered structure, which then determine the high performance of the carbon anodes in NIBs. This work highlights the importance of the type/content of functional groups in precursor and provides guidance for the future design of carbon anodes in NIBs from the perspective of precursor selection.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (No. 2022YFB3807800), the National Natural Science Foundation (NSFC) of China (Nos. 52122214 and 52072403), Youth Innovation Promotion Association of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) (No. 2020006), and One Hundred Talent Project of Institute of Physics, CAS.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China

    Xiaohan Tang & Yuanjiang Pan

  2. Key Laboratory for Renewable Energy, Beijing Key Laboratory for New Energy Materials and Devices, Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China

    Xiaohan Tang, Fei Xie, Yaxiang Lu, Zhao Chen, Hong Li, Xuejie Huang, Liquan Chen & Yong-Sheng Hu

  3. Huairou Division, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 101400, China

    Yaxiang Lu, Hong Li, Xuejie Huang, Liquan Chen & Yong-Sheng Hu

  4. Yangtze River Delta Physics Research Center Co., Ltd., Liyang, 213300, China

    Yaxiang Lu, Hong Li, Xuejie Huang, Liquan Chen & Yong-Sheng Hu

  5. College of Materials Science and Optoelectronic Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Zhao Chen, Xiangfei Li, Hong Li, Xuejie Huang, Liquan Chen & Yong-Sheng Hu

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  1. Xiaohan Tang
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Correspondence to Fei Xie, Yaxiang Lu, Yuanjiang Pan or Yong-Sheng Hu.

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Tang, X., Xie, F., Lu, Y. et al. Intrinsic effects of precursor functional groups on the Na storage performance in carbon anodes. Nano Res. 16, 12579–12586 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-023-5643-9

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