Sb/Fe₂S₃/Acetylene Black for Lithium-Ion and Sodium-Ion Batteries

Polymetallic sulfides have attracted considerable attention as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and sodium-ion batterw1ies (SIBs) due to their excellent cycling stability and electrochemical performance. However, in the field of anode materials, despite the high theoretical capacity and good conductivity of these transition metal sulfides, several key challenges remain in practical applications, such as structural damage caused by volume expansion during charge/discharge cycles, slow insertion/extraction kinetics of lithium and sodium ions, and insufficient interfacial stability. In this study, we designed an Sb/Fe2S3 material and composite by combining it with acetylene black via a ball-milling process. The Sb/Fe2S3 anchored on acetylene black (Sb/Fe2S3–C) not only improved the material’s conductivity but also provided a stable framework structure for the composite, which buffers volume expansion and enhances cycling performance. The ball-milling process further facilitated the uniform distribution of Sb/Fe2S3 and acetylene black, enhancing the efficiency of electron and ion transport. The results showed that as an anode material for LIBs, the reversible capacities of Sb/Fe2S3–C reached 1170.6, 1007.1, 963.6, 877.2, 783.2, 656.3, 511.2, 428.3, and 345.3 mA h g–1 at current densities of 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 A g–1, respectively. As an anode material for SIBs, Sb/Fe2S3–C remained stable at a high sodium storage capacity of 501.6 mA h g–1 after 80 cycles at 1 A g–1. This study provides a more economical and sustainable solution for achieving high-performance LIBs/SIBs in large-scale energy storage applications.