Thursday, 23 June 2016
Riverside Center (Hyatt Regency)
The present study reports on a highly rate capable NASICON-structured NaTi2(PO4)3/ reduced graphene oxide (NTP/rGO) composite electrode synthesized by polyol-assisted pyro synthesis for Na-ion batteries (NIBs). X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies confirmed the presence of a rombohedral NaTi2(PO4)3 phase in the composite while Raman spectroscopy studies helped to identify the existence of rGO in the composite. Electron microscopy studies established that NaTi2(PO4)3 nanoparticles of average sizes ranging between 20 and 30 nm were uniformly distributed and embedded on the GO sheets. When tested for sodium storage properties, the obtained NTP/rGO composite electrode registered high rate capacities (95 mAh g-1 at 9.2 C and 78 mAh g-1 at 36.8 C) when compared to that of the NTP/C electrode (~1 mAh g-1 at 9.2 and 36.8 C). The enhanced performance of the composite electrode can be attributed to the nano-sized NaTi2(PO4)3 particles with shorter diffusion path lengths embedded on the rGO sheets with enhanced electrolyte/electrode contact areas that ultimately leads to an improvement in the electrical conductivity at high current densities. Ex-situ XANES studies confirmed reversible Na-ion intercalation/de-intercalation into/from NTP/rGO. The study thus demonstrates that the NaTi2(PO4)3/rGO nanocomposite electrode is a promising candidate for the development of high power/energy density anodes for NIBs.