FeCoN <sub>6</sub> Sites Unlock Superior Sodium‐Ion Storage Through Synergizing Capture‐Release and Orbital‐Mediated Charge Delocalization
Sodium-ion hybrid capacitors (SHCs) are severely hindered by sluggish sodiation kinetics in conventional anodes. Single-atom sites, though promising, suffer from localized d-orbitals that induce overly strong Na<sup>+</sup> binding, creating a kinetic bottleneck. Herein, we design heteroatomic FeCo dual-atom sites (FeCoN<sub>6</sub>) that unlock a dual-mechanism synergy for fast and durable Na<sup>+</sup> storage. Theoretical-experimental evidence confirms that strong d-d orbital coupling induces an orbital-mediated charge-delocalization (OMCD) effect, which downshifts the d-band center to moderate Na<sup>+</sup> binding affinity. Meanwhile, the intrinsic heteroatomic nature of the FeCoN<sub>6</sub> sites provides a stepped energy landscape for optimized Na<sup>+</sup> capture-release pathways. This synergy between electronic OMCD modulation and the kinetic capture-release model significantly lowers the diffusion barrier. Consequently, the FeCo dual-atom nitrogen-doped carbon anode exhibits dominant pseudocapacitive kinetics, superior rate capability (225 mAh g<sup>-1</sup> at 10 A g<sup>-1</sup>), and exceptional durability. The full SHC delivers a high energy density of 165 Wh kg<sup>-1</sup> at 23 W kg<sup>-1</sup>, retains 108 Wh kg<sup>-1</sup> at 9424 W kg<sup>-1</sup>, and achieves 90% capacity retention over 10,000 cycles. This study establishes that engineering heteroatomic sites to leverage both intrinsic functional heterogeneity and electronic delocalization is a powerful strategy to overcome kinetic limitations in energy storage.
Authors
- Chenchen Meng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0019-2594)
- Yixing Li
- Wenliang Feng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8406-4738)
- Bin Wu
- Zhaoyang Han
- Kwun Nam Hui
- Qingqing Ren
- Xulei Sui
- Zhenbo Wang
- Huifang Xu
- Qunyao Wang
Institutions
- Shenzhen University (CN)
- University of Macau (MO)
- Harbin Institute of Technology (CN)
- Shenzhen Technology University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Angewandte Chemie International Edition
- Published
- 2026-02-05
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202525480
- Primary Topic
- Advancements in Battery Materials
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00