A Phase-Separation Route to Synthesize Porous CNTs with Excellent Stability for Na⁺ Storage

Porous carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are obtained by removing MoO₂ nanoparticles from MoO₂@C core@shell nanofibers which are synthesized by phase-segregation via a single-needle electrospinning method. The specific surface area of porous CNTs is 502.9 m² g⁻¹, and many oxygen-containing functional groups (COH, CO) are present. As anodes for sodium-ion batteries, the porous CNT electrode displays excellent rate performance and cycling stability (110 mA h g⁻¹ after 1200 cycles at 5 A g⁻¹). Those high properties can be attributed to the porous structure and surface modification to steadily store Na⁺ with high capacity. The work provides a facile and broadly applicable way to fabricate the porous CNTs and their composites for batteries, catalysts, and fuel cells.