High-voltage stabilization of O3-type layered oxide for sodium-ion batteries by simultaneous tin dual modification

O3-type layered oxide materials are considered to be a highly suitable cathode for sodium-ion batteries (NIBs) due to their appreciable specific capacity and energy density. However, rapid capacity fading caused by serious structural changes and interfacial degradation hampers their use. A novel Sn-modified O3-type layered NaNi_1/3Fe_1/3Mn_1/3O₂ cathode is presented, with improved high-voltage stability through simultaneous bulk Sn doping and surface coating in a scalable one-step process. The bulk substitution of Sn⁴⁺ stabilizes the crystal structure by alleviating the irreversible phase transition and lattice structure degradation and increases the observed average voltage. In the meantime, the nanolayer Sn/Na/O composite on the surface effectively inhibits surface parasitic reactions and improves the interfacial stability during cycling. A series of Sn-modified materials are reported. An 8%-Sn-modified NaNi_1/3Fe_1/3Mn_1/3O₂ cathode exhibits a doubling in capacity retention increase after 150 cycles in the wide voltage range of 2.0-4.1 V vs Na/Na⁺ compared to none, and 81% capacity retention is observed after 200 cycles in a full cell vs hard carbon. This work offers a facile process to simultaneously stabilize the bulk structure and interface for the O3-type layered cathodes for sodium-ion batteries and raises the possibility of similar effective strategies to be employed for other energy storage materials.