Enhancing the Lithium Storage Performance of Phosphorus–Carbon\nComposites by Reinforcing P–C Bonding with High-Strength Metal\nNanoparticles

Phosphorus\nis an ideal anode material for high-rate lithium-ion\nbatteries due to its high theoretical specific capacity and moderate\noperating potential. However, phosphorus undergoes tremendous volume\nexpansion and low electrical conductivity during lithium storage,\naffecting its actual lithium storage performance. The formation of\nP–C bonds is an effective strategy to inhibit the volume expansion\nand maintain stable electrical contact between phosphorus and the\ncurrent collector. Herein, high strength metal nanoparticles, such\nas molybdenum nanoparticles, are introduced into the ball milling\nprocess to reinforce P–C bonding and enhance the lithium storage\nperformance. As a result, the BP/Mo/CNTs anode provides a high-rate\ncapacity of 984 mAh g<sup>–1</sup> at 8.0 A g<sup>–1</sup> and high capacity retention of 90.3% after 300 cycles at 0.5 A g<sup>–1</sup>. To demonstrate the universality of this method,\nBP/W/CNTs nanocomposites were prepared by tungsten-assisted ball milling.\nThis facile strategy provides a practical approach for the formation\nof abundant covalent bonds to improve the electrochemical performance\nof composites.