Metal Cation-Assisted Synthesis of Amorphous B, N Co-Doped Carbon Nanotubes for Superior Sodium Storage.

Nearly inexhaustible sodium sources on earth make sodium ion batteries (SIBs) the best candidate for large-scale energy storage. However, the main obstacles faced by SIBs are the low rate performance and poor cycle stability caused by the large size of Na+ ions. Herein, a universal strategy for synthesizing amorphous metals encapsulated into amorphous B, N co-doped carbon (a-M@a-BCN; M = Co, Ni, Mn) nanotubes by metal cation-assisted carbonization is explored. The methodology allows tailoring the structures (e.g., length, wall thickness, and metals doping) of a-M@a-BCN nannotubes at the molecular level. Furthermore, the amorphous metal sulfide encapsulated into a-BCN (a-MSx @a-BCN; MSx : CoS, Ni3 S2 , MnS) nanotubes are obtained by one-step sulfidation process. The a-M@a-BCN and a-MSx @a-BCN possess the larger interlayer spacing (0.40 nm) amorphous carbon nanotube rich in heteroatoms active sites, making them exhibit excellent Na+ ions diffusion kinetics and capacitive storage behavior. As SIBs anodes, they show high capacity, excellent rate performance, and long cycle stability.