Bismuth-doping boosting Na+ diffusion kinetics of layered oxide cathode with radially oriented {010} active lattice facet for sodium-ion batteries

O3-type layered oxide cathodes (NaxTMO2) for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) have attracted significant attention as one of the most promising potential candidates for practical energy storage applications. The poor Na+ diffusion kinetics is, however, one of the major obstacles to advancing large-scale practical application. Herein, we report bismuth-doped O3-NaNi0.5Mn0.5O2 (NMB) microspheres consisting of unique primary nanoplatelets with the radially oriented {010} active lattice facets. The NMB combines the advantages of the oriented and exposed electrochemical active planes for direct paths of Na+ diffusion, and the thick primary nanoplatelets for less surface parasitic reactions with the electrolyte. Consequently, the NMB cathode exhibits a long-term stability with an excellent capacity retention of 72.5% at 1C after 300 cycles and an enhanced rate capability at a 0.1C to 10C rate (1C = 240 mA g–1). Furthermore, the enhancement is elucidated by the small volume change, thin cathode-electrolyte-interphase (CEI) layer, and rapid Na+ diffusion kinetics. In particular, the radial orientation-based Bi-doping strategy is demonstrated to be effective at boosting electrochemical performance in other layered oxides (such as Bi-doped NaNi0.45Mn0.45Ti0.1O2 and NaNi1/3Fe1/3Mn1/3O2). The results provide a promising strategy of utilizing the advantages of the oriented active facets of primary platelets and secondary particles to develop high-rate layered oxide cathodes for SIBs.