Metal-Perylene-3,4,9,10-Tetracarboxylate as a Promising Anode Material for Sodium Ion Batteries

Sodium ion batteries (SIBs) have recently attracted increasing attention as promising alternatives to lithium ion batteries. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop suitable electrode materials with high energy efficiency and good cyclic stability for SIBs. In this work, a series of metal–organic complexes (M-PTC, metal = Li, Ni, Co, Mn) based on 3,4,9,10-perylene-tetracaboxylicacid-dianhydride have been prepared by a simple rheological phase method. The structure, morphology, thermal stability and electrochemical properties of the obtained M-PTC have been systematically investigated. As anodes for SIBs, Ni-PTC electrodes deliver high initial capacity but poor cycling stability, while Co-PTC electrodes present good cycling stability but low capacity. Remarkably, Li-PTC and Mn-PTC electrodes show both high capacity and good cycling stability. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy demonstrates that Li-PTC and Mn-PTC electrodes have a smaller impedance than that of Ni-PTC and Co-PTC electrodes. The superior electrochemical performance of Li-PTC and Mn-PTC electrodes can be ascribed to their regular morphology, appropriate particle size, and monodispersed structure. The results indicate that these metal–organic complexes are promising anode materials for SIBs.