Construction of Naphthalene Diimide Derived Nanostructured Cathodes through Self-Assembly for High-Performance Sodium–Organic Batteries

Organic
nanostructured electrodes are very attractive for next-generation
sodium-ion batteries. Their great advantages in improved electron
and ion transport and more exposed redox-active sites would lead to
a higher actual capacity and enhanced rate performance. However, facile
and cost-effective methods for the fabrication of nanostructured organic
electrodes are still highly challenging and very rare. In this work,
we utilize a bioinspired self-assembly strategy to fabricate nanostructured
cathodes based on a rationally designed N-hydroxy
naphthalene imide sodium salt (NDI-ONa) for high-performance
sodium–organic batteries. Such a well-organized nanostructure
can greatly enhance both ion and electron transport. When used as
cathode for sodium–organic batteries, it provides among the
best battery performances, such as high capacity (171 mA h g–1 at 0.05 A g–1), excellent rate performance (153
mA h g–1 at 5.0 A g–1), and ultralong
cycling life (93% capacity retention after 20000 cycles at 3.0 A g–1). Even at low temperature or without a conductive
additive, it can also perform well. It is believed that self-assembly
is a very powerful strategy to construct high-performance nanostructured
electrodes.