Metal sulfide anodes offer high theoretical capacities for next-generation lithium-ion and sodium-ion batteries (LIBs/SIBs), but their commercial application is limited by severe volume changes and sluggish reaction kinetics. In this study, a binary solid solution of Bi₁.₀₉Sb₀.₉₁S₃ nanorod clusters anchored on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) is developed as a binder-free anode using a rapid electrophoretic deposition (EPD) technique. The electrodes are fabricated directly onto copper foil within ~ 3 min by applying a constant DC voltage (~ 300 V) in an isopropanol-based EPD bath containing nickel nitrate, poly(acrylic acid), and carbon black. The Bi₁.₀₉Sb₀.₉₁S₃/rGO anode delivers excellent electrochemical performance, achieving a stable specific capacity of ~ 379 mAh·g-1 at 0.5 A·g-1 over 100 cycles in LIBs, and ~ 334 mAh·g-1 at 0.1 A·g-1 over 30 cycles in SIBs, with Coulombic efficiencies of ~ 98.6% and ~ 96.7%, respectively. Ex situ XANES analysis reveals the formation of pseudo-crystalline Li₃Bi, Na₃Bi, Li₃Sb, and Na₃Sb phases, accompanied by irreversible shifts in Bi L₃-edge and Sb K-edge. The incorporation of rGO effectively suppresses electrode degradation by buffering volume changes and preventing active material delamination. This work demonstrates a scalable, binder-free electrode strategy for high-performance LIB and SIB applications.
Dashairya et al. (Tue,) studied this question.