Biomineralization-inspired synthesis of Na 3 V 2 (PO 4 ) 3 nanoparticles wrapped with 3D porous carbon as high-performance cathode for sodium-ion batteries

Inspired by biomineralization, we develop a facile synthesis route to obtain 3D porous foam-like Na 3 V 2 (PO 4 ) 3 @C composites consisting of ultra-small Na 3 V 2 (PO 4 ) 3 particles in situ wrapped with carbon architecture derived from yeast as storing sodium cathode. 3D carbon architecture with high electrical conductivity is endowed with important effect on bio-restricting the aggregation of Na 3 V 2 (PO 4 ) 3 nanoparticles, improving Na + diffusion coefficient. As a result, the Na 3 V 2 (PO 4 ) 3 @C cathode shows good rate performance with 109 mAh g −1 and 44 mAh g −1 at 0.5 C and 20 C, respectively. Besides, the storage mechanism and structure evolution of Na 3 V 2 (PO 4 ) 3 @C have been certified by ex situ XRD and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The unique biomineralization process enables to improve the electrochemical performances of Na 3 V 2 (PO 4 ) 3 by a facile self-organized process in a friendly environment. Therefore, biomineralization is a promising way to prepare high-performance cathode material with mesoporous structure for batteries.