Transforming industrial by-products into high-value materials is crucial for sustainable development. The high-value conversion of industrial sodium sulfate (Na2SO4) by-product into a high-performance Na2.56Fe1.72(SO4)3/carbon (NFSO/KB) composite cathode material for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) is studied. The cathode with a robust skeleton composed of Fe2O10 dimers and SO4 tetrahedra ensures excellent structural stability, and the unique three-dimensional (3D) framework facilitates rapid Na+ diffusion. Theoretical and structural analyses reveal that NFSO/KB possesses an ultralow Na+ migration barrier and a highly reversible reaction mechanism with minimal volume change (1.21%) during cycling. As a result, the cathode delivers a reversible capacity of 84.26 mAh g-1 at 10 mA g-1, with a high operating voltage of 3.8 V (vs. Na/Na+). Moreover, it demonstrates a remarkable rate capability of 55.77 mAh g-1 at 1000 mA g-1 and exceptionally long cycle life (89.13% capacity retention after 3000 cycles). This work establishes a new paradigm for industrial by-products upcycling and provides a promising design strategy for low-cost, high-rate, and long-lifespan cathodes for SIBs.
Lin et al. (2026) studied this question.