Transition metal chalcogenides are promising cathode materials for next-generation battery systems, particularly sodium-ion batteries. Ni3Co6S8-pitch-derived carbon composite microspheres with a yolk-shell structure (Ni3Co6S8@C-YS) were synthesized through a three-step process: spray pyrolysis, pitch coating, and post-heat treatment process. Ni3Co6S8@C-YS exhibited an impressive reversible capacity of 525.2 mA h g-1 at a current density of 0.5 A g-1 over 50 cycles when employed as an anode material for sodium-ion batteries. However, Ni3Co6S8 yolk shell nanopowder (Ni3Co6S8-YS) without pitch-derived carbon demonstrated a continuous decrease in capacity during charging and discharging. The superior sodium-ion storage properties of Ni3Co6S8@C-YS were attributed to the pitchderived carbon, which effectively adjusted the size and distribution of nanocrystals. The carbon-coated yolk-shell microspheres proposed here hold potential for various metal chalcogenide compounds and can be applied to various fields, including the energy storage field.

This study investigates the viability of using a Na-ion battery with a tin(Sn) anode to mitigate the vulnerability caused by volume changes during discharge and charge cycling. In general, the volume changes of carbon material do not cause any instability during intercalation into its layer structure. Sn has a high theoretical capacity of 847 mAh g−1. However, it expands dramatically in the discharge process by alloying Na-Sn, placing the electrode under massive internal stress, and particularly straining the binder over the elastic limit. The repeating strain results in loss of active material and its electric contact, as well as capacity decrease. This paper expands the scope of fabrication of Na-ion batteries with Sn by fabricating the binder as an auxetic structure with a unique feature: a negative Poisson ratio (NPR), which increases the resistance to internal stress in the Na-Sn alloying/de-alloying processes. Electrochemical tests and micrograph images of auxetic and common binders are used to compare dimensional and structural differences. Results show that the capacity of an auxetic-structured Sn electrode is much larger than that of a Sn electrode with a common-structured binder. Furthermore, using an auxetic structured Sn electrode, stability in discharge and charge cycling is obtained.

소듐 2-브로모에탄술포네이트를 이용한 2-에티닐피리딘의 무촉매중합을 통하여 새로운 이온성 폴리아세틸렌을 합성하였다. 중합반응은 균일하게 진행되었으며 높은 수율 (중합수율: 78%)로 해당고분자를 합성하였다. 반응 초기 사차 염화과정에서 생성된 활성화 N-(에틸술포네이트 소듐)-2-에티닐피리디늄 브로마이드가 중합반응의 단량체로 참여하고 있는 것으로 밝혀졌다. 고분자의 분자 구조를 여러 가지 분석기기로 확인한 결과 설계한 치환기를 갖는 폴리아세틸렌 유도체가 합성되었음을 확인할 수 있었다. 합성 고분자의 고유점도는 0.12-0.15 dL/g 범위였으며 X-선 회절분석 결과 무정형상임을 확인할 수 있었다. 고분자의 광발광 피크가 593 nm에서 관찰되었는데, 이는 2.09 eV의 광에너지에 해당한다. 이 고분자는 도핑과 탈도핑 피크 사이에서 비가역 전기화학적 거동을 보였다.