Cathode materials for rechargeable aluminum batteries : current status and progress

This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 21477046, 21277060 and 51361130151), Key Technology R&D Program of Shandong Province (No. 2016ZDJS11A03), Science Development Project of Shandong Province (No. 2014GGX104004) and Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province (No. ZR2015EM044).Peer reviewedPostprin

2023 roadmap for potassium-ion batteries

The heavy reliance of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) has caused rising concerns on the sustainability of lithium and transition metal and the ethic issue around mining practice. Developing alternative energy storage technologies beyond lithium has become a prominent slice of global energy research portfolio. The alternative technologies play a vital role in shaping the future landscape of energy storage, from electrified mobility to the efficient utilization of renewable energies and further to large-scale stationary energy storage. Potassium-ion batteries (PIBs) are a promising alternative given its chemical and economic benefits, making a strong competitor to LIBs and sodium-ion batteries for different applications. However, many are unknown regarding potassium storage processes in materials and how it differs from lithium and sodium and understanding of solid–liquid interfacial chemistry is massively insufficient in PIBs. Therefore, there remain outstanding issues to advance the commercial prospects of the PIB technology. This Roadmap highlights the up-to-date scientific and technological advances and the insights into solving challenging issues to accelerate the development of PIBs. We hope this Roadmap aids the wider PIB research community and provides a cross-referencing to other beyond lithium energy storage technologies in the fast-pacing research landscape

Multipod Bi(Cu2‑xS)n nanocrystals formed by dynamic cation−ligand complexation and their use as anodes for potassium-ion batteries

We report the formation of an intermediate lamellar Cu–thiolate complex, and tuning its relative stability using alkylphosphonic acids are crucial to enabling controlled heteronucleation to form Bi(Cu2-xS)n heterostructures with a tunable number of Cu2-xS stems on a Bi core. The denticity of the phosphonic acid group, concentration, and chain length of alkylphosphonic acids are critical factors determining the stability of the Cu–thiolate complex. Increasing the stability of the Cu–thiolate results in single Cu2-xS stem formation, and decreased stability of the Cu–thiolate complex increases the degree of heteronucleation to form multiple Cu2-xS stems on the Bi core. Spatially separated multiple Cu2-xS stems transform into a support network to hold a fragmented Bi core when used as an anode in a K-ion battery, leading to a more stable cycling performance showing a specific capacity of ∼170 mAh·g–1 after 200 cycles compared to ∼111 mAh·g–1 for Bi–Cu2-xS single-stem heterostructures.</p

Multipod Bi(Cu_2‑xS)_<i>n</i> Nanocrystals formed by Dynamic Cation–Ligand Complexation and Their Use as Anodes for Potassium-Ion Batteries

We report the formation of an intermediate lamellar Cu–thiolate complex, and tuning its relative stability using alkylphosphonic acids are crucial to enabling controlled heteronucleation to form Bi(Cu2‑xS)n heterostructures with a tunable number of Cu2‑xS stems on a Bi core. The denticity of the phosphonic acid group, concentration, and chain length of alkylphosphonic acids are critical factors determining the stability of the Cu–thiolate complex. Increasing the stability of the Cu–thiolate results in single Cu2‑xS stem formation, and decreased stability of the Cu–thiolate complex increases the degree of heteronucleation to form multiple Cu2‑xS stems on the Bi core. Spatially separated multiple Cu2‑xS stems transform into a support network to hold a fragmented Bi core when used as an anode in a K-ion battery, leading to a more stable cycling performance showing a specific capacity of ∼170 mAh·g–1 after 200 cycles compared to ∼111 mAh·g–1 for Bi–Cu2‑xS single-stem heterostructures

Dense silicon nanowire networks grown on a stainless-steel fiber cloth: A flexible and robust anode for lithium-ion batteries

Silicon nanowires (Si NWs) are a promising anode material for lithiumion batteries (LIBs) due to their high specific capacity. Achieving adequate mass loadings for binder-free Si NWs is restricted by low surface area, mechanically unstable and poorly conductive current collectors (CCs), as well as complicated/expensive fabrication routes. Herein, a tunable mass loading and dense Si NW growth on a conductive, flexible, fire-resistant, and mechanically robust interwoven stainless-steel fiber cloth (SSFC) using a simple glassware setup is reported. The SSFC CC facilitates dense growth of Si NWs where its open structure allows a buffer space for expansion/ contraction during Li-cycling. The Si NWs@SSFC anode displays a stable performance for 500 cycles with an average Coulombic efficiency of >99.5%. Galvanostatic cycling of the Si NWs@SSFC anode with a mass loading of 1.32 mg cm−2 achieves a stable areal capacity of ≈2 mAh cm−2 at 0.2 C after 200 cycles. Si NWs@SSFC anodes with different mass loadings are characterized before and after cycling by scanning and transmission electron micros-copy to examine the effects of Li-cycling on the morphology. Notably, this approach allows the large-scale fabrication of robust and flexible binder-free Si NWs@SSFC architectures, making it viable for practical applications in high energy density LIBs

A copper silicide nanofoam current collector for directly grown Si nanowire network and their application as lithium-ion anodes

Silicon nanowires (Si NWs) have been identified as an excellent candidate material for the replacement of graphite in anodes, allowing for a significant boost in the capacity of lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs). Herein, high‐density Si NWs are grown on a novel 3D interconnected network of binary‐phase Cu‐silicide nanofoam (3D CuxSiy NF) substrate. The nanofoam facilitates the uniform distribution of well‐segregated and small‐sized catalyst seeds, leading to high‐density/single‐phase Si NW growth with an areal‐loading in excess of 1.0 mg cm−2 and a stable areal capacity of ≈2.0 mAh cm−2 after 550 cycles. The use of the 3D CuxSiy NF as a substrate is further extended for Al, Bi, Cu, In, Mn, Ni, Sb, Sn, and Zn mediated Si NW growth, demonstrating the general applicability of the anode architecture

Directly deposited antimony on a copper silicide nanowire array as a high-performance potassium-ion battery anode with a long cycle life

Antimony (Sb) is a promising anode material for potassium-ion batteries (PIBs) due to its high capacity and moderate working potential. Achieving stable electrochemical performance for Sb is hindered by the enormous volume variation that occurs during cycling, causing a significant loss of the active material and disconnection from conventional current collectors (CCs). Herein, the direct growth of a highly dense copper silicide (Cu15Si4) nanowire (NW) array from a Cu mesh substrate to form a 3D CC is reported that facilitates the direct deposition of Sb in a core-shell arrangement (Sb@Cu15Si4 NWs). The 3D Cu15Si4 NW array provides a strong anchoring effect for Sb, while the spaces between the NWs act as a buffer zone for Sb expansion/contraction during K–cycling. The binder-free Sb@Cu15Si4 anode displays a stable capacity of 250.2 mAh g−1 at 200 mA g−1 for over 1250 cycles with a capacity drop of ≈0.028% per cycle. Ex situ electron microscopy revealed that the stable performance is due to the complete restructuring of the Sb shell into a porous interconnected network of mechanically robust ligaments. Notably, the 3D Cu15Si4 NW CC is expected to be widely applicable for the development of alloying-type anodes for next-generation energy storage devices.</p

2023 roadmap for potassium-ion batteries

The heavy reliance of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) has caused rising concerns on the sustainability of lithium and transition metal and the ethic issue around mining practice. Developing alternative energy storage technologies beyond lithium has become a prominent slice of global energy research portfolio. The alternative technologies play a vital role in shaping the future landscape of energy storage, from electrified mobility to the efficient utilization of renewable energies and further to large-scale stationary energy storage. Potassium-ion batteries (PIBs) are a promising alternative given its chemical and economic benefits, making a strong competitor to LIBs and sodium-ion batteries for different applications. However, many are unknown regarding potassium storage processes in materials and how it differs from lithium and sodium and understanding of solid–liquid interfacial chemistry is massively insufficient in PIBs. Therefore, there remain outstanding issues to advance the commercial prospects of the PIB technology. This Roadmap highlights the up-to-date scientific and technological advances and the insights into solving challenging issues to accelerate the development of PIBs. We hope this Roadmap aids the wider PIB research community and provides a cross-referencing to other beyond lithium energy storage technologies in the fast-pacing research landscape