Tailoring the Sodium Storage Performance of Carbon Nanowires by Microstructure Design and Surface Modification with N, O and S Heteroatoms

The electronic environment and physicochemical property of carbon materials can be easily tailored and modulated by heteroatom doping. Herein, we demonstrate that net-like N, O, S triple-doped microporous carbon nanowires (NOS-MCNs) as an anode can be designed to improve the electrochemical performance of sodium ion batteries. Ammonium persulfate as oxidant can also provide a nitrogen and sulfur source for S-containing PPy. The N, O and S atoms are introduced into the carbon skeleton with activation and carbonization processes to modify the surface properties. As an anode, the material exhibits a high specific capacity and a long lifespan (≈301 mA h g−1 at 0.2 A g−1 after 1000 cycles) as well as an excellent rate capability (158 mA h g−1 at an extremely high current density of 10 A g−1). This work offers a facile strategy to synthesize triple-doped porous carbon materials for sodium ion batteries and other energy-storage fields.