• Zhu, Zening
• Hyett, Geoffrey
• Hector, Andrew Lee
• Robinson, Fred
• Cibin, Giannantonio
• Reid, Gillian

Abstract

<p>Sulfur-deficient SnS thin films for sodium-ion battery anode application are prepared using aerosol-assisted chemical vapor deposition. Growth directly onto the metal foil current collector forms sulfur-deficient SnS microrod structures via a vapor–liquid–solid growth mechanism, with 92 nm average SnS crystallite size and an 800 nm film thickness. The sulfur deficiency is demonstrated with energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, powder X-ray diffraction, and X-ray absorption near-edge structure analyses. This sulfur-deficient SnS material demonstrates a very high capacity in sodium half cells. The first reduction scan at a specific current of 150 mA g⁻¹ shows a capacity of 1084 mAh g⁻¹. At the 50th cycle the specific capacity is 638 mAh g⁻¹ for reduction and 593 mAh g⁻¹ for oxidation. This capacity is demonstrated for tin sulfide itself without the need for a nanostructured carbon support, unlike previous high capacity SnS anodes in the literature. Both the capacity and ex situ characterization experiments indicate a conversion reaction producing tin, followed by alloying with sodium during reduction, and that both of these processes are reversible during oxidation.</p>

Topics

• impedance spectroscopy
• Carbon
• experiment
• thin film
• Sodium
• powder X-ray diffraction
• tin
• chemical vapor deposition