Bi-Doped P2 Layered Sodium-Ion Battery Cathode with Improved Cycling Stability

P2-phased layered oxide materials have been extensively studied as cathode material for sodium-ion batteries due to their high capacities and ionic conductivities, making them promising for large-scale applications. Additionally, manganese-based compounds, with their low cost and high capacity, have attracted significant attention in recent years. However, challenges remain regarding durability issues and related structural instability caused by the Jahn-Teller effect induced by Mn 3+ ions formed during the cycling process in these materials, which causes manganese dissolution during use. In this study, we introduce a cathode composition of Na 0.8 Mn 0.75 Fe 0.2 Al 0.05 O 2 and show that bismuth doping enhances the structural stability of the cathode material during electrochemical cycling. Electrodes with varying levels of bismuth doping were compared in half-cell configurations; material with 1% bismuth doping demonstrated outstanding stability, retaining 95.8% capacity after 200 cycles at a 0.2 C rate through the full potential range. dQ/dV analysis shows that bismuth doping effectively suppresses the excess Mn redox, which could otherwise deteriorate the cathode structure. As a proof of concept, Bi-doped materials were implemented in full cells paired with hard carbon that exhibited much better stability than those without bismuth doping. Lastly, the moisture and air stability of the bismuth-doped electrode were tested, demonstrating good stability.