Electrospun assisted antimony phosphate (SbPO4) anode for elevated performance in sodium and lithium ion charge storage application

Abstract Carbonized antimony phosphate (C@SbPO4) has been synthesized and the charge storage performances as an anode for both Li and Na-ion batteries have been investigated. For better understanding the role of the synthesis route on the charge storage behavior, SbPO4 was investigated using the sol-gel and electrospun process. The as-prepared materials exhibited a layered structure in both processes which were confirmed from the X-ray diffraction analysis. The percentage of the carbon coating on the core structure of SbPO4 was estimated using thermogravimetric analysis. The graphitic nature of the carbon-coating was analyzed via Raman spectra. Spherical morphology of the as-prepared samples and the carbon-coated fibrous samples was obtained using FESEM analysis. It was observed that the SbPO4/C delivered a specific capacity of 548 mAh g−1 at 5 A g−1 with an excellent round trip efficiency of as an anode in a LIB application. On the other hand, in the case of SIB, it delivered an initial specific capacity of 397 mAh g−1 at 1 A g−1. Both SIB and LIB showed long-term cycle stability of around 300 and 500 with an excellent capacity retention of 88.6% and 92.8% respectively. The obtained performance characteristics have also compared with the bare SbPO4 and the C@SbPO4 prepared using the sol-gel process and electrospun. Thus, the obtained electrospun C@SbPO4 showed superior performance and can be used as a potential candidate for both Li and Na analogs as anode materials.