Three-dimensional antimony sulfide anode with carbon nanotube interphase modified for lithium-ion batteries

Antimony sulfide (Sb₂S₃) is a promising anode for lithium-ion batteries due to its high capacity and vast reserves. However, the low electronic conductivity and severe volume change during cycling hinder its commercialization. Herein our work, a three-dimensional (3D) Sb₂S₃ thin film anode was fabricated via a simple vapor transport deposition system by using natural stibnite as raw material and stainless steel fiber-foil (SSF) as 3D current collector, and a carbon nanotube interphase was introduced onto the film surface by a simple dropping-heating process to promote the electrochemical performances. This 3D structure can greatly improve the initial coulombic efficiency to a record of 86.6% and high reversible rate capacity of 760.8 mAh·g⁻¹ at 10 C. With carbon nanotubes interphase modified, the Sb₂S₃ anode cycled extremely stable with high capacity retention of 94.7% after 160 cycles. This work sheds light on the economical preparation and performance optimization of Sb₂S₃-based anodes.