Cetrimonium bromide assisted formation of antimony alloy nanorods for use as an anode in lithium-ion and sodium-ion full-cells

Abstract Practical application of antimony alloy based electrodes in alkali-ion secondary batteries are viable due to their low-cost and widespread abundance. Employing unique nanostructuring strategies is vital for significantly improving their electrochemical performance while simultaneously addressing their inherent drawbacks. In this study, we report a simple microwave-hydrothermal approach for preparing antimony and tin-antimony alloy nanorods for the first time. Detailed X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy measurements reveal that the preferential adsorption of cetrimonium bromide molecules on the (110) planes of the precursor alloy nanoparticles results in the formation of self-assembled nanorods with an average aspect ratio of 6. When mixed with nitrogen-doped graphene flakes, these nanorods deliver reversible discharge capacities of 500 mAh g-1 and 350 mAh g-1 at the end of 200 cycles in Li+ and Na+ half-cell configurations, respectively. When coupled with a LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 cathode, the resulting Li+ full-cell delivers a nominal working voltage of 4.3 V, a high energy density of 344 Wh kg-1full-cell, and an 87.5% capacity retention after 200 cycles. Similarly, when coupled with a Prussian blue analog cathode, the resulting Na+ full-cell also delivers a nominal working voltage of 2.5 V, an energy density of 250 Wh kg-1full-cell, and an 82.5% capacity retention after 100 cycles.