Large-scale synthesis of BiOCl@C composite as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries

• Large-scale BiOCl nanoplates were obtained by using (BiO) 2 CO 3 in KCl/ZnCl 2 molten salt. • The BiOCl nanoplates are further combined with amorphous carbon using planetary grinding technique. • The BiOCl@C composite electrode shows 410 mAh/g delithiation capacity at 100 mA g −1 after 100 cycles. Using (BiO) 2 CO 3 as the raw material and a simple molten salt process followed by ball-milling, mass manufacturing of 2D layered BiOCl nanoplates and carbon composites can be produced. XRD, XPS, SEM, and TEM were used to characterize the as-synthesised materials in great detail. Eletrochemical experiments demonstrate that after 100 cycles at a current density of 100 mA g −1 , the discharge capacity of the BiOCl@C composite electrode remains at 410 mAh/g, and average coulombic efficiencies can remain as high as 99 % after the first cycle. This work would establish a novel method for producing high-volumetric-energy–density BiOCl@C anode materials, which are likely to be viable candidates for application in lithium-ion batteries.