Sb&Sb2O3@C-enhanced flexible carbon cloth as an advanced self-supporting anode for sodium-ion batteries

In the wake of developments in wearable electronic devices, great advances have been achieved in flexible lithium-ion batteries. At the same time, as the best potential alternatives, flexible sodium-ion batteries have attracted increasing attention. However, it remains a challenge to search for a high-performance anode for SIBs. In this work, we used carbonized commercial cotton cloth as the substrate, and after simple modification with particles of Sb and Sb2O3, a flexible and binder-free anode Sb&Sb2O3@C/carbon cloth (Sb&Sb2O3@C/CC) for sodium-ion batteries was prepared. This anode delivered good rate capability (98.4 mA h g−1 at a current density of 600 mA g−1) and excellent cyclability (89% capacity retention after 250 cycles at 100 mA g−1). In addition, Sb&Sb2O3@C/CC has fast electrochemical kinetics for sodium insertion/extraction, and the electrode reaction of Sb&Sb2O3@C/CC is mainly controlled by pseudocapacitance. Thus, Sb&Sb2O3@C/CC is extremely promising for applications in sodium anode materials.