Enhancing sodium-ion battery performance through crystalline water-assisted Zn2V2O7 anode material

To make sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) commercially viable, progress in advanced electrode materials has been witnessed to overcome unsatisfactory performance, including low charging/discharging efficiency and short lifespan. Recently, Zn2V2O7 (ZVO) has emerged as a bright anode arising from the distinctive crystal structure and electrochemical properties. Here, the novel approach is utilized to produce ZVO nanoparticles via a combination of wet chemistry and low-temperature solid-phase techniques. More explicitly, the specific discharge capacities of the ZVO-350 anode remain 141.6 mAh g-1 over 100 cycles at 50 mA g-1, demonstrating outstanding cycle stability. Significantly, in-situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis is performed to reveal the operational mechanism and phase transitions of ZVO. Furthermore, the kinetic analysis of ZVO anode is unveiled through pseudo-capacitance calculation and GITT tests. Finally, variable temperature Raman spectroscopy is employed in-situ to test the changes of ZVO with increasing temperature aiming to assess the effect of cooling rate on the ZVO. This work establishes a suitable ZVO anode for SIBs and highlights the formidable energy storage potential in a competitive landscape.