Citation: Jiaqi Liu, Sishi Li, Yandong Xie, Ziqiang Fan, Zhenyuan Miao, Pengwei Jing, Yuecong Chen, Jian Zhu, Chao Yang, Xingbin Yan. Surface engineering driven performance optimization of hard carbon for sodium ion storage[J]. Chinese Chemical Letters, ;2026, 37(7): 111112. doi: 10.1016/j.cclet.2025.111112 shu

Surface engineering driven performance optimization of hard carbon for sodium ion storage

Jiaqi Liu ^{a, b} ,
Sishi Li ^a ,
Yandong Xie ^a ,
Ziqiang Fan ^a ,
Zhenyuan Miao ^c ,
Pengwei Jing ^a ,
Yuecong Chen ^a ,
Jian Zhu ^{a, *,} ,
Chao Yang ^{b, *,} ,
Xingbin Yan ^{a, *,}

a.
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
b.
College of Materials Science and Engineering, Guilin University of Technology, Guilin 541004, China
c.
South China Academy of Advanced Optoelectronics, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China

zhuj88@mail.sysu.edu.cn

yangchao_chem@163.com

yanxb3@mail.sysu.edu.cn

Received Date: 11 February 2025
Revised Date: 8 March 2025
Accepted Date: 18 March 2025
Available Online: 19 March 2025

Figures(4)

Hard carbon materials are currently the only practical anode materials for commercial sodium-ion battery production, due to their advantages such as high volumetric capacity, low discharge potential, and low production cost. However, hard carbon typically faces issues like low initial Coulombic efficiency (ICE), poor rate performance, and structural instability during cycling, on account of its disordered and porous structure. To address these challenges, this study designs and implements a surface modification strategy to coat hard carbon with a carbon layer derived from the pyrolysis of liquid paraffin. This modified layer significantly reduces the surface defect sites, promotes the ordering of the material's surface structure, and effectively fills the pores of the material. As a result, the ICE of surface-modified hard carbon can be improved from 80% to 90%, with an increased reversible capacity to 310 mAh/g, while also enhancing the rate and cycling performance. This method offers a simple yet efficient approach for structural modification and performance optimization of hard carbon anode materials for developing advanced sodium-ion battery technologies.
- Sodium-ion battery,
- Hard carbon,
- Liquid paraffin,
- Surface modification
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