Mesoporous Amorphous FePO₄ Nanospheres\nas High-Performance Cathode Material for Sodium-Ion Batteries

Abstract

FePO₄ nanospheres are\nsynthesized successfully through\na simple chemically induced precipitation method. The nanospheres\npresent a mesoporous amorphous structure. Electrochemical experiments\nshow that the FePO₄/C electrode demonstrates a high initial\ndischarging capacity of 151 mAh g^–1 at 20 mA g^–1, stable cyclablilty (94% capacity retention ratio\nover 160 cycles), as well as high rate capability (44 mAh g^–1 at 1000 mA g^–1) for Na-ion storage. The superior\nelectrochemical performance of the FePO₄/C nanocomposite\nis due to its particular mesoporous amorphous structure and close\ncontact with the carbon framework, which significantly improve the\nionic and electronic transport and intercalation kinetics of Na ions.