Abstract
The limited availability and escalating cost of lithium resources have accelerated the exploration of alternative energy storage systems beyond conventional lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) have emerged as a promising candidate due to the abundance and low cost of sodium. Nickel-based layered oxides (NBLO) are regarded as key components for high-performance SIBs owing to their high theoretical capacity and favorable energy density. However, the larger ionic radius of Na+ and its strong interaction with lattice oxygen lead to pronounced structural instability, unfavorable phase transitions, and severe interfacial side reactions, resulting in poor cycling stability and rate performance. This review summarizes recent advances in NBLO cathodes for SIBs. And representative crystal structures (including P2- and O3-type phases) are introduced, followed by an analysis of their structure-property relationships that connect atomic architecture directly to macroscopic electrochemical behavior. Key degradation mechanisms during cycling, such as lattice distortion, transition-metal migration, bulk structural degradation, and electrode-electrolyte interfacial instability, are discussed. In addition, current optimization strategies, including high-entropy doping, structural modulation, and surface and interface engineering, are systematically reviewed. Finally, this review proposes a synergistic framework coupling material innovation, multi-scale characterization, computational guidance, and full-cell validation to steer the development of low-cost, high-energy-density, and long-life NBLO cathodes for SIBs.
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