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

• Published in: Advanced science Vol. 10; no. 3; pp. e2205234 - n/a
• Main Authors: Yuan, Fei, Shi, Conghao, Li, Yanan, Wang, Jian, Zhang, Di, Wang, Wei, Wang, Qiujun, Wang, Huan, Li, Zhaojin, Wang, Bo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.01.2023; John Wiley and Sons Inc; Wiley
• Subjects: anode; Carbon; defect‐rich; Electrodes; Electrolytes; graphitic structure; macropores; Morphology; Potassium; potassium‐ion battery; Spectrum analysis; Transmission electron microscopy; anode; graphitic structure; macropores; defect-rich; potassium-ion battery
• ISSN: 2198-3844; 2198-3844
• DOI: 10.1002/advs.202205234

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. Due to the spatially confined two‐step local contraction of poly tannic acid (PTA) along different directions and dimensions during carbonization, defective nanosheets with macropores are formed, while realizing a balance between defects content and graphitization degree by regulating temperature. All of which endow the fast transfer ability of both ions/electrons, and alleviate volume fluctuation, leading to improved capacity and cyclability.