Cocoon Silk-Derived, Hierarchically Porous Carbon as Anode for Highly Robust Potassium-Ion Hybrid Capacitors

Revealing the Charge Storage Mechanism in Porous Carbon to Achieve Efficient K Ion Storage

Constructing a porous structure is considered an appealing strategy to improve the electrochemical properties of carbon anodes for potassium-ion batteries (PIBs). Nevertheless, the correlation between electrochemical K-storage performance and pore structure has not been well elucidated, which hinders the development of high-performance carbon anodes. Herein, various porous carbons are synthesized with porosity structures ranging from micropores to micro/mesopores and mesopores, and systematic investigations are conducted to establish a relationship between pore characteristics and K-storage performance. It is found that micropores fail to afford accessible active sites for K ion storage, whereas mesopores can provide abundant surface adsorption sites, and the enlarged interlayer spacing facilitates the intercalation process, thus resulting in significantly improved K-storage performances. Consequently, PCa electrode with a prominent mesoporous structure achieves the highest reversible capacity of 421.7 mAh g-1 and an excellent rate capability of 191.8 mAh g-1 at 5 C. Furthermore, the assembled potassium-ion hybrid capacitor realizes an impressive energy density of 151.7 Wh kg-1 at a power density of 398 W kg-1. The proposed work not only deepens the understanding of potassium storage in carbon materials with distinctive porosities but also paves a path toward developing high-performance anodes for PIBs with customized energy storage capabilities.

Constructing Active BN Sites in Carbon Nanosheets for High-Capacity and Fast Charging Toward Potassium Ion Storage

Nitrogen doping is an effective strategy to improve potassium ion storage of carbon electrodes via the creation of adsorption sites. However, various undesired defects are often uncontrollably generated during the doping process, limiting doping effect on capacity enhancement and deteriorating the electric conductivity. Herein, boron element is additionally introduced to construct 3D interconnected B, N co-doped carbon nanosheets to remedy these adverse effects. This work demonstrates that boron incorporation preferentially converts pyrrolic N species into BN sites with lower adsorption energy barrier, further enhancing the capacity of B, N co-doped carbon. Meanwhile, the electric conductivity is modulated via the conjugation effect between the electron-rich N and electron-deficient B, accelerating the charge-transfer kinetics of potassium ions. The optimized samples deliver a high specific capacity, high rate capability, and long-term cyclic stability (532.1 mAh g^-1 at 0.05 A g^-1 , 162.6 mAh g^-1 at 2 A g^-1 over 8000 cycles). Furthermore, hybrid capacitors using the B, N co-doped carbon anode deliver a high energy and power density with excellent cycle life. This study demonstrates a promising approach using BN sites for adsorptive capacity and electric conductivity enhancement in carbon materials for electrochemical energy storage applications.

Monolayer MoS2 Fabricated by In Situ Construction of Interlayer Electrostatic Repulsion Enables Ultrafast Ion Transport in Lithium-Ion Batteries

Highlights

In-situ construction of electrostatic repulsion between MoS2 interlayers is first proposed to successfully prepare Co-doped monolayer MoS2 under high vapor pressure. The doped Co atoms radically decrease bandgap and lithium ion diffusion energy barrier of monolayer MoS2 and can be transformed into ultrasmall Co nanoparticles (~2 nm) to induce strong surface-capacitance effect during conversion reaction. The Co doped monolayer MoS2 shows ultrafast ion transport capability along with ultrahigh capacity and outstanding cycling stability as lithium-ion-battery anodes.

Abstract

High theoretical capacity and unique layered structures make MoS2 a promising lithium-ion battery anode material. However, the anisotropic ion transport in layered structures and the poor intrinsic conductivity of MoS2 lead to unacceptable ion transport capability. Here, we propose in-situ construction of interlayer electrostatic repulsion caused by Co2+ substituting Mo4+ between MoS2 layers, which can break the limitation of interlayer van der Waals forces to fabricate monolayer MoS2, thus establishing isotropic ion transport paths. Simultaneously, the doped Co atoms change the electronic structure of monolayer MoS2, thus improving its intrinsic conductivity. Importantly, the doped Co atoms can be converted into Co nanoparticles to create a space charge region to accelerate ion transport. Hence, the Co-doped monolayer MoS2 shows ultrafast lithium ion transport capability in half/full cells. This work presents a novel route for the preparation of monolayer MoS2 and demonstrates its potential for application in fast-charging lithium-ion batteries.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40820-023-01042-4.

Synergistic effect of nitrogen and oxygen dopants in 3D hierarchical porous carbon cathodes for ultra-fast zinc ion hybrid supercapacitors

Zinc-ion hybrid supercapacitor is one of the most promising electrochemical energy storage devices for the applications needing both high energy densities and power densities. Nitrogen doping is an effective way to enhance the capacitive performance of porous carbon cathodes in zinc-ion hybrid supercapacitor. However, accurate evidence is yet needed to demonstrate how nitrogen dopants influence the charge storage of Zn²⁺ and H⁺ cations. Herein, we prepared 3D interconnected hierarchical porous carbon nanosheets by a one-step explosion method. The effect of nitrogen dopants on pseudocapacitance was analyzed by the electrochemical behaviors of as-prepared porous carbon samples with similar morphology and pore structure but different nitrogen and oxygen doping levels. Ex-situ XPS and DFT calculation demonstrate that nitrogen dopants promote the pseudocapacitive reactions by lowering the energy barrier for the change of oxidation states of carbonyl moieties. Owing to the improved pseudocapacitance by nitrogen/oxygen dopants and fast diffusion of Zn²⁺ ions in 3D interconnected hierarchical porous carbon matrix, the as-constructed ZIHCs show both high gravimetric capacitance (301 F g^-1 at 0.1 A g^-1) and excellent rate capability (a capacitance retention of 30% at 200 A g^-1).

Research progress of biomass carbon materials as anode materials for potassium-ion batteries

Biochar materials have attracted people's attention because of their environmental friendliness, abundant resources, and the use of waste resources for reuse. As a potassium-ion anode material, biomass char materials synthesized by different methods have broad application prospects. However, due to the problems of low initial magnification and limited potassium-storage capacity, it is necessary to improve the electrochemical performance through modifications, such as atomic doping. Atomic doping is an effective way to improve battery conductivity and potassium storage. In this paper, the synthesis method of biochar as an anode material for potassium-ion batteries and the influence of atomic doping on its modification in recent years are reviewed.

Rationally Tailoring Superstructured Hexahedron Composed of Defective Graphitic Nanosheets and Macropores: Realizing Durable and Fast Potassium Storage

Multipores engineering composed of micro/mesopores is an effective strategy to improve potassium storage performance via providing enormous adsorption sites and shortened ions diffusion distance. However, a detailed exploration of the role played by macropores in potassium storage is still lacking and has been barely reported until now. Herein, a superstructure carbon hexahedron (DGN-900) is synthesized using poly tannic acid (PTA) as precursor. Due to the spatially confined two-step local contraction of PTA along different directions and dimensions during pyrolysis, defective nanosheets with macropores are formed, while realizing a balance between defects content and graphitization degree by regulating temperature. The presence of macropores is conducive to accelerating electrolyte ions rapid infiltration within electrode, and its pore volume can accommodate electrode structure fluctuation upon cycling, while the most suitable ratio of defects to graphitic provides rich ions adsorption sites and sufficient electrons transfer channels, simultaneously. These advantages enable a prominent electrochemical performance in DGN-900 electrode, including high rate (202.9 mAh g^-1 at 2 A g^-1 ) and long cycling stability over 2000 cycles. This unique fabrication strategy, that is, defects engineering coupled with macropores structure, makes fast and durable potassium storage possible.

Molybdenum Oxynitride Atomic Nanoclusters Bonded in Nanosheets of N-Doped Carbon Hierarchical Microspheres for Efficient Sodium Storage

Transition metal nitrides have attracted considerable attention as great potential anode materials due to their excellent metallic conductivity and high theoretical specific capacity. However, their cycling performance is impeded by their instability caused by the reaction mechanism. Herein, we report the engineering and synthesis of a novel hybrid architecture composed of MoO_2.0N_0.5 atomic nanoclusters bonded in nanosheets of N-doped carbon hierarchical hollow microspheres (MoO_2.0N_0.5/NC) as an anode material for sodium-ion batteries. The facile self-templating strategy for the synthesis of MoO_2.0N_0.5/NC involves chemical polymerization and subsequent one-step calcination treatments. The design is beneficial to improve the electrochemical kinetics, buffer the volume variation of electrodes during cycling, and provide more interfacial active sites for sodium uptake. Due to these unique structural and compositional merits, these MoO_2.0N_0.5/NC exhibits excellent sodium storage performance in terms of superior rate capability and stable long cycle life. The work shows a feasible and effective way to design novel host candidates and solve the long-term cycling stability issues for sodium-ion batteries.

Insight into a Nitrogen-Doping Mechanism in a Hard-Carbon-Microsphere Anode Material for the Long-Term Cycling of Potassium-Ion Batteries

To investigate the alternatives to lithium-ion batteries, potassium-ion batteries have attracted considerable interest due to the cost-efficiency of potassium resources and the relatively lower standard redox potential of K⁺/K. Among various alternative anode materials, hard carbon has the advantages of extensive resources, low cost, and environmental protection. In the present study, we synthesize a nitrogen-doping hard-carbon-microsphere (N-SHC) material as an anode for potassium-ion batteries. N-SHC delivers a high reversible capacity of 248 mAh g⁻¹ and a promoted rate performance (93 mAh g⁻¹ at 2 A g⁻¹). Additionally, the nitrogen-doping N-SHC material also exhibits superior cycling long-term stability, where the N-SHC electrode maintains a high reversible capacity at 200 mAh g⁻¹ with a capacity retention of 81% after 600 cycles. DFT calculations assess the change in K ions’ absorption energy and diffusion barriers at different N-doping effects. Compared with an original hard-carbon material, pyridinic-N and pyrrolic-N defects introduced by N-doping display a positive effect on both K ions’ absorption and diffusion.

O-Doping Configurations Reduce the Adsorption Energy Barrier of K-Ions to Improve the Electrochemical Performance of Biomass-Derived Carbon

In recent years, atomic-doping has been proven to significantly improve the electrochemical performance of biomass-derived carbon materials, which is a promising modification strategy. Among them, there are relatively few reports about O-doping. Here, porous carbon derived from orange peel was prepared by simple carbonization and airflow-annealing processes. Under the coordination of microstructure and surface groups, the derived carbon had excellent electrochemical performance for the K-ion batteries’ anode, including a high reversible specific capacity of 320.8 mAh/g, high rate performance of 134.6 mAh/g at a current density of 2000 mA/g, and a retention rate of 79.5% even after 2000 long-term cycles, which shows great application potential. The K-ion storage mechanisms in different voltage ranges were discussed by using various characterization techniques, that is, the surface adsorbed of K-ionswas in the high-potential slope area, and the intercalation behavior corresponded to the low-potential quasi-plateau area. In addition, the density functional theory calculations further confirmed that O-doping can reduce the adsorption energy barrier of K-ions, change the charge density distribution, and promote the K-ion storage. In particular, the surface Faraday reaction between the C=O group and K-ions plays an important role in improving the electrochemical properties.

Homologous Nitrogen-Doped Hierarchical Carbon Architectures Enabling Compatible Anode and Cathode for Potassium-Ion Hybrid Capacitors

Potassium-ion hybrid capacitors (PIHCs) have been considered as an emerging device to render grid-scale energy storage. Nevertheless, the sluggish kinetics at the anode side and limited capacity output at the cathode side remain daunting challenges for the overall performances of PIHCs. Herein, an exquisite "homologous strategy" to devise multi-dimensional N-doped carbon nanopolyhedron@nanosheet anode and activated N-doped hierarchical carbon cathode targeting high-performance PIHCs is reported. The anode material harnessing a dual-carbon structure and the cathode candidate affording a high specific surface area (2651 m² g^-1 ) act in concert with a concentrated ether-based electrolyte, resulting in an excellent half cell performance. The related storage mechanism is systematically revealed by in situ electrokinetic characterizations. More encouragingly, the thus-derived PIHC full cell demonstrates a favorable energy output (157 Wh kg^-1 ), showing distinct advantages over the state-of-the-art PIHC counterparts.

Fast-Charging Nonaqueous Potassium-Ion Batteries Enabled by Rational Construction of Oxygen-Rich Porous Nanofiber Anodes

Practical applications of carbon anodes in high-power potassium-ion batteries (PIBs) were hampered by their limited rate properties, due to the sluggish K⁺ transport kinetics in the bulk. Constructing convenient ion/electron transfer channels in the electrode is of great importance to realize fast charge/discharge rates. Here, cross-linked porous carbon nanofibers (inner porous carbon nanotubes and outer soft carbon layer) modified with oxygen-containing functional groups were well designed as anodes to realize robust de-/potassiation kinetics. The novel anode delivered excellent rate capabilities (107 mAh g^-1 at 20 A g^-1 and 78 mAh g^-1 at 40 A g^-1) and superior cycling stability (76% capacity retention after 14,000 cycles at 2 A g^-1). In situ XRD measurement, in situ Raman spectra, and galvanostatic intermittent titration verified its surface-dominated potassium storage behavior with fast de-/potassiation kinetics, excellent reversibility, and rapid ion/electron transport. Moreover, theoretical investigation revealed that the carboxyl groups in the carbon offered additional capacitive adsorption sites for K⁺, thus significantly enhancing the reversible capacity. Surprisingly, a full cell using the anode and perylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxylic dianhydride cathode achieved an outstanding power density of 23,750 W kg^-1 and superior fast charge/slow discharge performance.

Facile Synthesis of P-Doped Carbon Nanosheets as Janus Electrodes of Advanced Potassium-Ion Hybrid Capacitor

Potassium-ion hybrid capacitors (PIHCs) shrewdly integrate the merits of the high energy density of battery-type anode and the high power density of capacitor-type cathode, promising prospects for potential application in a diversity of fields. Here, we report the synthesis of P-doped porous carbon nanosheets (P-PCNs) with favorable features as electrochemical storage materials, including ultrahigh specific surface area and rich activity sites. The P-PCN as Janus electrodes show highly attractive electrochemical properties of high capacity and remarkable stability for fast K⁺ storage and manifest high capacitance for PF₆^- adsorption. The P-PCNs are applied as both anode and cathode materials to set up dual-carbon PIHCs, which show the capability to deliver a high energy/power density (165.2 Wh kg^-1 and 5934.4 W kg^-1) as well as remarkable long-life capability.

Wire-in-Wire TiO2/C Nanofibers Free-Standing Anodes for Li-Ion and K-Ion Batteries with Long Cycling Stability and High Capacity

Wearable and portable mobile phones play a critical role in the market, and one of the key technologies is the flexible electrode with high specific capacity and excellent mechanical flexibility. Herein, a wire-in-wire TiO₂/C nanofibers (TiO₂ ww/CN) film is synthesized via electrospinning with selenium as a structural inducer. The interconnected carbon network and unique wire-in-wire nanostructure cannot only improve electronic conductivity and induce effective charge transports, but also bring a superior mechanic flexibility. Ultimately, TiO₂ ww/CN film shows outstanding electrochemical performance as free-standing electrodes in Li/K ion batteries. It shows a discharge capacity as high as 303 mAh g^-1 at 5 A g^-1 after 6000 cycles in Li half-cells, and the unique structure is well-reserved after long-term cycling. Moreover, even TiO₂ has a large diffusion barrier of K⁺, TiO₂ ww/CN film demonstrates excellent performance (259 mAh g^-1 at 0.05 A g^-1 after 1000 cycles) in K half-cells owing to extraordinary pseudocapacitive contribution. The Li/K full cells consisted of TiO₂ ww/CN film anode and LiFePO₄/Perylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxylic dianhydride cathode possess outstanding cycling stability and demonstrate practical application from lighting at least 19 LEDs. It is, therefore, expected that this material will find broad applications in portable and wearable Li/K-ion batteries.

Dual-Carbon Electrode-Based High-Energy-Density Potassium-Ion Hybrid Capacitor

Potassium-ion hybrid capacitors (KIHCs) have attracted growing attention due to the natural abundance and low cost of potassium. However, KIHCs are still limited by sluggish redox reaction kinetics in electrodes during the accommodation of large-sized K⁺. Herein, a starch-derived hierarchically porous nitrogen-doped carbon (SHPNC) anode and active carbon cathode were rationally designed for dual-carbon electrode-based KIHCs with high energy density. The hierarchical structure and rich doped nitrogen in the SHPNC anode result in a distensible interlayer space to buffer volume expansion during K⁺ insertion/extraction, offers more electrochemical active sites to achieve high specific capacity, and has highly efficient channels for fast ion/electron transports. The in situ Raman and ex situ TEM demonstrated a reversible electrochemical behavior of the SHPNC anode. Thus, the SHPNC anode delivers superior cycling stability and a high reversible capacity (310 mA h g^-1 at 50 mA g^-1). In particular, the KIHCs assembled by the SHPNC anode and commercial active carbon cathode can deliver a high energy density of 165 W h kg^-1 at a current density of 50 mA g^-1 and an ultra-long cycle life of 10,000 cycles at 1 A g^-1 (calculated based on the total mass of the anode and cathode).

Fe nanopowder-assisted fabrication of FeOx/porous carbon for boosting potassium-ion storage performance

The electrode materials of potassium ion storage system have attracted considerable attention given the promising prospect of a potassium ion system in large-scale electrochemical energy storage applications. Despite the excellent anode performance of metal oxides in Li⁺ and Na⁺ batteries, the study on their K⁺ storage performance is still rarely reported. In this study, we report a safe and low-cost strategy to prepare FeO_x/N-doped carbons by using NaHCO₃ and Fe nanopowder. Benefiting from the oxidation of Fe to Fe₃O₄, an interesting "one stone, two birds" role of the Fe powder can be identified in the heating process. As a reduction agent, the Fe powder can consume the excess oxygen in the bio-massed carbon framework, facilitating the formation of short-range-ordered domains in the biomass-derived carbon materials (FeO_x@GBHCs). Moreover, the close combination of oxidization products (Fe₃O₄ particles) and carbon matrix leads to numerous FeO_x clusters grafted on the surface of the carbon framework via the strong C-O-Fe binding. Therefore, the resultant FeO_x/porous carbon exhibits a high reversible capacity of 410 mA h g^-1 and an excellent cycling capability. The assembled FeO_x@GBHCs//AC potassium-ion hybrid supercapacitor delivers a high energy density of 133 W h kg^-1 at a power density of 700 W kg^-1, demonstrating a potential prospect of metal oxides in boosting the potassium ion storage performance.

Nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes as an anode for a highly robust potassium-ion hybrid capacitor

Potassium ion hybrid capacitors (KIHCs) have drawn growing interest owing to their outstanding energy density, power density and excellent cycling stability. However, the large ionic radius of potassium triggers a huge volume change during continuous K⁺ insertion/extraction processes, restricting the development of KIHCs. Here, we report N-doped carbon nanotubes (NCNTs) for high-performance K⁺ storage. The NCNTs possess a hierarchical structure and N functional groups and not only offer sufficient space to relieve the volume expansion, but also provide highly efficient channels to transport electrons and ions. As a result, the NCNTs anode presents a high specific capacity and an excellent cycling stability with an average decay rate of 0.0238% per cycle (the lowest value among the reported carbon-based anodes for K-ions batteries) during 3600 continuous cycles. A potassium ion hybrid capacitor (KIHC) was also designed with the NCNT anode and a commercial active carbon cathode and achieved both a high energy/power density (117.1 W h kg^-1/1713.4 W kg^-1) and a long cycle life (2000 cycles at 1 A g^-1). Moreover, the in situ Raman and ex situ element mapping characterization demonstrate the outstanding electrochemical reversibility of the NCNTs. This work provides a superior strategy to design low-cost anode materials with excellent K⁺ storage electrochemistry.

Emerging Potassium-ion Hybrid Capacitors

As a new type of capacitor-battery hybrid energy storage device, metal-ion capacitors have attracted widespread attention because of their high-power density while ensuring energy density and long lifespan. Potassium-ion capacitors (KICs) featuring the merits of abundant potassium resources, lower standard electrode potential, and low cost have been considered as potential alternatives to lithium-/sodium-ion capacitors. However, KICs still face issues including unsatisfactory reaction kinetics, low energy density, and poor lifetime owing to the large radius of the potassium ion. In this Review, the importance of emerging potassium-ion capacitor is addressed. The Review offers a brief discussion of the fundamental working principle of KICs, along with an overview of recent advances and achievements of a variety of electrode materials for dual carbon and non-dual carbon KICs. Furthermore, electrolyte chemistry, binders as well as electrode/electrolyte interface, are summarized. Finally, existing challenges and perspectives on further development of KICs are also presented.

Recent progress in sodium/potassium hybrid capacitors

Metal ion hybrid capacitors (MIHCs) have been recognized as one of the most promising power sources owing to their combined merits of high energy density in batteries and high power output in supercapacitors. The kinetics mismatch between the capacitor-type cathode and battery-type anode yet must be well addressed before implementing their practical feasibility. Here, we overview the recent progress in sodium and potassium ion hybrid capacitors (SIHCs and PIHCs) and discuss the major challenges and give an outlook on the future directions in this field. The fundamental knowledge and the history will be firstly introduced, and special emphasis is then laid on the development of a variety of electrode materials in recent years. The prospects of future research of MIHCs are finally proposed towards their practical applications. We wish that this feature article can not only educate newcomers starting their reasearch in this field, but also inspire experieced researchers to contribute to the development of high-performance MIHC devices.