Ultrafast Sodium–Ion Batteries Based on Vanadium Oxide and Laser-Scribed Graphene Electrodes

Sodium–ion batteries represent one of the current research frontiers, owing to their low cost, intrinsic safety, environmental friendliness, and other unique features. Investigations are conducted toward the exploration of advanced electrode materials with exceptional energy/power density, superior rate capability, and ultralong cycling life. Notably, vanadium oxide electrode materials have received great attention due to their diversity in chemical compositions and attractive electrochemical properties. In this work, we propose a novel synthetic strategy to create a vanadium oxide laser-scribed graphene (VOLG) electrode as a highly functional anode material for sodium–ion batteries. The designed synthesis combines a fast laser-scribing step with controlled heating to tune the morphology and oxidation state of the electrochemically active vanadium oxide species while creating a highly conductive graphene scaffold. The selective insertion mechanism of sodium ions into V2O5 is systematically investigated. As a result, we demonstrate that a high specific capacity of 415 mA h g–1 can be achieved by the VOLG anode in the sodium–ion battery system at 0.2 A g–1, and an outstanding 147 mA h g–1 capacity can be retained at 20 A g–1 with a 70 s charge/discharge cycle, showing excellent rate capability. The VOLG anode is capable of reaching 87% capacity retention after 1000 cycles at a rate of 1 A g–1. This innovative strategy provides a pathway to incorporate pseudocapacitive electrodes for improving sodium ion storage systems, enabling a low cost, safe, and environmentally friendly operation of large-scale energy storage with promising electrochemical performance.