Facile Synthesis of Carbon-Coated Porous Sb2Te3 Nanoplates with High Alkali Metal Ion Storage.

Constructing advanced anode materials with suitable operational potential and high energy density toward metal ion batteries is of significance for next-generation batteries. Carbon-coated porous Sb2Te3 nanoplates with high density and suitable operational potential, prepared by a hydrothermal and carbonization technique, manifest good electrochemical performance, including excellent rate capability, high capacities, and outstanding cycling performance. This performance can be traced to its special structure, including porous Sb2Te3 and the shell of carbon, which can provide fast charge transfer paths and maintain the structural stability for the entire material. The proposed strategy here of embedding porous high-density anode material in two-dimensional carbon provides a new avenue for designing anode materials with excellent gravimetric and volumetric capacities toward superior energy storage.