3D Flexible Carbon Felt Host for Highly Stable Sodium Metal Anodes

Sodium (Na) metal, which possesses a high theoretical capacity and the lowest electrochemical potential, is regarded as a promising anode material for Na-metal batteries. However, both Na dendrite growth and large volume change in cycling have severely impeded its practical applications. This study demonstrates that a 3D flexible carbon (C) felt which is already commercialized in large-scale can be employed as a host for prestoring Na via a melt infusion strategy, through which a Na/C composite anode is obtained. The resulting anode exhibits a stable voltage profile and a small hysteresis over 120 cycles in carbonate-based electrolytes in symmetrical cells owing to the fact that the metallic Na is confined in a conductive carbon felt host, which increases the Na+ deposition sites to lower the effective current density and render a uniform Na nucleation, restricting the dimension change in electrochemical cycling. More importantly, effective inhibition of Na dendrite growth and large volume change is achieved. When coupled with a Na0.67Ni0.33Mn0.67O2 cathode, the Na/C composite demonstrates a good suitability in full cells. This work provides an alternative option for the fabrication of stable Na metal anodes, which is of great significance for the practical applications of Na metal anodes in high-energy-density batteries.