Long life exceeding 10 000 cycles for aluminum-ion batteries based on an FeTe₂@GO composite as the cathode

Abstract

A nanocomposite consisting of iron telluride wrapped with graphene oxide (GO) was prepared <i>via</i> a hydrothermal method. As the cathode material for aluminum-ion batteries (AIBs), it exhibited a remarkable long-term cycle performance with a reversible capacity of 120.4 mA h g^-1 at 1 A g^-1 after 10 000 cycles, <i>i.e.</i>, a cyclability better than those of all other transition metal chalcogenides in AIBs reported to date. Furthermore, an energy storage mechanism, involving the intercalation and deintercalation of multiple ions (AlCl₄^-, Cl^- and Al³⁺), was elucidated. This study offers guidance for further development of transition metal tellurides for AIBs.