Long-aspect-ratio N-rich carbon nanotubes as anode material for sodium and lithium ion batteries

An effective design of carbon materials with appropriate nanoarchitecture and optimized physicochemical property is critically demanded for superb lithium/sodium storage capacities. N-rich (up to 15.7%) hollow carbon nanotubes (NCNT) with long aspect ratio are well developed via a template method by exploring polypyrrole as the high nitrogen-containing carbon precursor. Owing to the hollow structure with large cavity and long aspect ratio, the NCNT exhibits Li+/Na+ storage capability with favorable volume buffer and rapid ion and electron transfer at high rate, resulting in long-term cycling and high-rate property. Meanwhile, the high N content creates abundant active sites and extrinsic defects, facilitating the improved specific capacity and rate performance. Impressively, our NCNT-600 electrode displays a favorable reversible capacity of 132 mAh g−1 after 5000 cycles at 4000 mA g−1 for SIBs and 170 mAh g−1 after 2000 cycles at the same current for LIBs. Further quantitative kinetic analysis reveals the dominated capacitive contribution of Li+/Na+ storage in NCNT, which is attributed to the porous hollow nanotubes and N-rich carbon with volume strain mitigation and enhanced electronic/ionic transfer capability. Given the cost-effectiveness and material sustainability, our work will shed light on the further design of other carbon-based materials for advanced energy storage devices.