Ultrasound sonochemical synthesis of amorphous Sb2S3-graphene composites for sodium-ion batteries.

Different from traditional methods, ultrasound sonochemical synthesis can create very special reaction conditions by virtue of the effects of acoustic cavitation. The localized spots in the medium liquids can reach the temperature of ~5000 K, and the pressure of ~1000 bar with the treatment of ultrasonic irradiation. The extreme conditions make it possible to fabricate a series of nanostructured materials with peculiar properties. Herein, we successfully prepared a unique amorphous composite of Sb2S3-graphene via sonochemical method at room temperature. Thanks to the opening frame of ion diffusion channels and higher reversibility in thermodynamics, the amorphous composite displayed superior electrochemical properties in comparison with the crystalline counterpart for sodium-ion batteries. Specifically, the amorphous Sb2S3-graphene composite delivered a first discharge capacity of 1867.1 mAh g-1 and a high reversible capacity of over 880 mAh g-1 after 50 cycles. The nanostructured materials synthesized by ultrasound sonochemical method with unique properties have well prospect in the field of energy storage.