A dual strategy of Na+/vacancy disorder and high Na to construct a P2-type cathode for high-stability sodium-ion batteries

Abstract

P2-type layered oxides are widely regarded as highly promising contenders for cathode materials in sodium-ion batteries. However, the occurrence of severe reactive phase transitions hinders satisfactory cycling stability and rate performance, thereby imposing limitations on their practical application. Here we prepared P2-type Na_0.75Ni_0.23Mg_0.1Mn_0.67O₂ cathode materials using the agar gel approach. The use of agar reduces the synthesis time significantly, and the high Na content enhances the stability of the structure and contributes to its capacity. Meanwhile, the introduction of electrochemically inactive Mg ions into sodium layers not only disrupts the Na⁺/vacancy ordering, but also increases the spacing between sodium layers, thus reducing the diffusion barrier for sodium ions. The dual modification strategy led to excellent stability of Na_0.75Ni_0.23Mg_0.1Mn_0.67O₂ with 94% capacity retention after 100 cycles at 1C. This work provides new insights into the design of sodium-ion cathode materials.