Sodium (Na) metal is the most promising alternative anode material to metallic lithium in the next-generation high-energy and cost-effective batteries due to its high capacity and high natural abundance of Na sources. However, dendritic/mossy Na growth caused by uncontrollable plating/stripping, formation of unstable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI), and severe volume change of Na during the electrochemical cycling result in serious safe concerns and rapid electrode degradation. To overcome these challenges, we present versatile utilization of 2D materials, especially graphene and MXene, to achieve high-performance Na metal anode for Na metal batteries from different perspectives. By regulating the chemical/physical properties of graphene and MXene, we have applied these materials in varied ways: i) as a planar plating substrate to maneuver the Na metal nucleation behavior, ii) as an artificial SEI layer to stabilize Na metal surface, iii) as a 3D matrix to cage the deposited Na and meanwhile effectively control the Na nucleation/growth. Coupled with different Na cathode materials, the full cells using these 2D materials regulated Na metal anodes all exhibit superior electrochemical performances than that using commercial Na metal. Our research provides new insights and guidance of using 2D materials in designing dendrite-free Na anode for high-performance Na metal batteries.

Regulating the 2D materials for high-performance sodium metal batteries

2019 Fall National Meeting

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