Uniform yolk-shell iron sulfide–carbon nanospheres for superior sodium–iron sulfide batteries

Abstract

Sodium–metal sulfide battery holds great promise for sustainable and cost-effective applications. Nevertheless, achieving high capacity and cycling stability remains a great challenge. Here, uniform yolk-shell iron sulfide–carbon nanospheres have been synthesized as cathode materials for the emerging sodium sulfide battery to achieve remarkable capacity of ∼545 mA h g−1 over 100 cycles at 0.2 C (100 mA g−1), delivering ultrahigh energy density of ∼438 Wh kg−1. The proven conversion reaction between sodium and iron sulfide results in high capacity but severe volume changes. Nanostructural design, including of nanosized iron sulfide yolks (∼170 nm) with porous carbon shells (∼30 nm) and extra void space (∼20 nm) in between, has been used to achieve excellent cycling performance without sacrificing capacity. This sustainable sodium–iron sulfide battery is a promising candidate for stationary energy storage. Furthermore, this spatially confined sulfuration strategy offers a general method for other yolk-shell metal sulfide–carbon composites.