Dual-Phase Engineered Iron-Based Polyanion Cathodes for Fast and Durable Sodium-Ion Batteries.

Iron-based polyanion material Na2Fe2(SO4)3 has gained attention for sodium-ion batteries due to its excellent electrochemical performance and low cost. However, Na2Fe2(SO4)3 suffers from residual FeSO4 formation during synthesis, which limits its capacity and rate performance. Herein, we introduce a dual-phase engineering strategy by incorporating NaF during synthesis that effectively eliminates FeSO4 residues and enables the formation of a dual-phase composite: Na2.56Fe1.72(SO4)3 (primary phase) and Na3Fe2(SO4)3F (secondary phase). This dual-phase structure not only eliminates excess FeSO4 but also enhances Na+ diffusion by introducing abundant phase boundaries, leading to a superior electrochemical performance. The optimized Na2.375Fe2(SO4)3F0.375 (NF-0.375) cathode achieves a high discharge capacity of 112 mAh g-1 at 0.1 C, an exceptional rate capability of 82.9 mAh g-1 at 30 C, and outstanding long-term stability, retaining 80% capacity after 10,000 cycles at 30 C. This dual-phase design provides a pathway for optimizing polyanion cathodes and accelerates the development of fast and durable SIBs for large-scale electric energy storage systems.