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Research Article

Enhancing the electrochemical performance of Na metal anodes via local eutectic melting in porous Al-Cu alloy hosts

Tao Hu1, Qiang Wu1, Cheng Wang1, Jialu Chen1, Fu Su1, Zibo Chen1, Yizhou Wang2, Jianyu Chen1( ), Yanwen Ma1,3( ), Jin Zhao1( )
State Key Laboratory of Organic Electronics and Information Displays & Institute of Advanced Materials (IAM), Nanjing University of Posts & Telecommunications, 9 Wenyuan Road, Nanjing 210023, China
Materials Science and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
Suzhou Vocational Institute of Industrial Technology, 1 Zhineng Avenue, Suzhou International Education Park, Suzhou 215104, China
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Graphical Abstract

A novel porous Al-Cu alloy host was fabricated via local eutectic melting, enhancing the Na metal's performance by creating a conductive structure that supports mechanical integrity, facilitates ion diffusion, and accommodates volume changes during cycling.

Abstract

Sodium (Na) metal batteries (SMBs) have emerged as promising alternatives to lithium metal batteries for large-scale energy storage applications, owing to their cost-effectiveness, abundance, and favorable redox potential. However, the practical implementation of SMBs faces several challenges associated with the Na metal anode, including the formation of dendrites, low Coulombic efficiency, and capacity fading. Here, we propose a novel approach to enhance the electrochemical performance of Na metal anodes through a porous Al-Cu alloy host (PAC) fabricated by a local eutectic melting engineering. The local eutectic melting facilitates the development of a conductive network, offering mechanical support, and the porous structure provides abundant channels for the diffusion of Na ions and accommodates volume fluctuations in the Na metal during charge–discharge cycling. Moreover, the PAC exhibits a high average Coulombic efficiency of 99.8% at 1 mA·cm−2 for 1 mAh·cm−2 and a low voltage polarization of 19 mV during 500 cycles. This study provides valuable insight into the design and fabrication of high-performance Na metal anodes, which hold significant promise for the advancements of next-generation energy storage systems.

Keywords

Na metal anodeporous Al-Cu alloyporous current collectorlocal eutectic melting

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Nano Research
Volume 17 Issue 7,
July 2024
Pages 6111-6118
DOI: 10.1007/s12274-024-6588-3
Cite this article:
Hu T, Wu Q, Wang C, et al. Enhancing the electrochemical performance of Na metal anodes via local eutectic melting in porous Al-Cu alloy hosts. Nano Research, 2024, 17(7): 6111-6118. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-024-6588-3
Topics:
Electric energy storageEnergy storageIon batteries

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Received: 23 January 2024
Revised: 24 February 2024
Accepted: 25 February 2024
Published: 03 April 2024
© Tsinghua University Press 2024
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