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Evaluation of Phosphorene as Anode Material for Na-ion Batteries from First Principles

We systematically evaluate the prospects of a novel 2D nanomaterial, phosphorene, as anode for Na-ion batteries. Using first-principles calculations, we determine the Na adsorption energy, specific capacity and Na diffusion barriers on monolayer phosphorene. We examine the main trends in electronic structure and mechanical properties as a function of Na concentration. We find favorable Na-phosphorene interaction with theoretical capacity, exceeding those of alternative monolayer anodes for Na-ion batteries. We find that Na-phosphorene undergoes semiconductor-metal transition at high Na concentration. Our results show that Na diffusion on phosphorene is fast and anisotropic with the energy barrier of only 0.04 eV. Owing to the high capacity, good stability, excellent electrical conductivity and high Na mobility, monolayer phosphorene is a very promising anode material for Na-ion batteries. The calculated performance in terms of specific capacity and diffusion barrier is compared to other layered 2D electrode materials, such as graphene, MoS2, polysilane, etc.