Synthesis of Na 3 V 2 (PO 4 ) 3 /C composites as high-performance cathode materials for sodium ion batteries

Abstract

Na 3 V 2 (PO 4 ) 3 (NVP) is a potential cathode material for sodium ion batteries (SIBs) due to its stable three-dimensional NASICON structure and high theoretical energy density. In this paper, the carbon-coated Na 3 V 2 (PO 4 ) 3 (NVP/C) cathode materials using pitch as carbon source were synthesized by a simple solid-state reaction method combined with microwave calcinations. The electrode performance of as-prepared NVP/C materials were investigated and the results demonstrated that the NVP/C composite with 13.1 wt.% carbon shows the best electrochemical properties. It possesses a high initial discharge capacity of 108.2 mAh g -1 , 90.5 mAh g -1 at 0.2 C and 10 C. After 1000 cycles at the rate of 10 C, the discharge capacity remained almost unchanged, with no capacity fading.