Bottum-up synthesis strategy of mesoporous Sb/Sb2O3 composite at room temperature as anode for sodium ion batteries

A bottom-up synthesis strategy was developed to prepare the Sb/Sb2O3 composite at room temperature, which consisted of crystalline Sb and amorphous Sb2O3 with mesoporous structures. SbCl3 and NaK alloy were utilized as the precursor and the reducing agency, respectively. The intermediate products consisted of Sb, Sb2O3, and salts. The in-situ formed inorganic salts, NaCl and KCl, could be adopted as the templates to generate the mesopores. Moreover, these salts could totally be removed via simple water washing. According to the characterization results, the as-obtained sample possessed mesopores, as well as the crystalline structure of Sb. When this sample was evaluated as the anode for sodium ion batteries (SIBs), the mesoporous Sb/Sb2O3 composite exhibited outstanding electrochemical performance as anode, with high specific capacity and good electrochemical stability.