Ga(2)Te(3)-Based Composite Anodes for High-Performance Sodium-Ion Batteries

Recently, metal chalcogenides have received considerable attention as prospective anode materials for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) because of their high theoretical capacities based on their alloying or conversion reactions. Herein, we demonstrate a gallium(III) telluride (Ga(2)Te(3))-based ternary composite (Ga(2)Te(3)–TiO(2)–C) synthesized via a simple high-energy ball mill as a great candidate SIB anode material for the first time. The electrochemical performance, as well as the phase transition mechanism of Ga(2)Te(3) during sodiation/desodiation, is investigated. Furthermore, the effect of C content on the performance of Ga(2)Te(3)–TiO(2)–C is studied using various electrochemical analyses. As a result, Ga(2)Te(3)–TiO(2)–C with an optimum carbon content of 10% (Ga(2)Te(3)–TiO(2)–C(10%)) exhibited a specific capacity of 437 mAh·g(−1) after 300 cycles at 100 mA·g(−1) and a high-rate capability (capacity retention of 96% at 10 A·g(−1) relative to 0.1 A·g(−1)). The good electrochemical properties of Ga(2)Te(3)–TiO(2)–C(10%) benefited from the presence of the TiO(2)–C hybrid buffering matrix, which improved the mechanical integrity and electrical conductivity of the electrode. This research opens a new direction for the improvement of high-performance advanced SIB anodes with a simple synthesis process.