Tailored Redox Kinetics, Electronic Structures and Electrode/Electrolyte Interfaces for Fast and High Energy‐Density Potassium‐Organic Battery

• Published in: Advanced functional materials 2020-01, Vol.30 (5), p.n/a
• Main Authors: Tong, Zhongqiu, Tian, Shuang, Wang, Hui, Shen, Dong, Yang, Rui, Lee, Chun‐Sing
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Cathodes; Current density; Cycles; Electric power grids; Electric vehicles; Electricity pricing; electrode/electrolyte interface; Electrodes; Electrolytes; electronic structure; Flux density; High current; high‐performance organic cathodes; Kinetics; Materials science; Polymers; Potassium; potassium‐ion batteries; redox kinetics; Stability; Terephthalate
• ISSN: 1616-301X; 1616-3028
• DOI: 10.1002/adfm.201907656

Potassium‐organic batteries have a great potential for applications in large‐scale electricity grids and electric vehicles because of their low cost and sustainability. However, their inferior cycle stability and more importantly low energy density under fast discharge/charge process of organic cathodes limit their applications. This work introduces a simple polymerization processing which enables comprehensive tuning of redox kinetics, electronic structures, and electrode/electrolyte interfaces of the polymer cathodes. With this approach, a potassium‐organic battery with an impressive energy density of 113 Wh kg−1 at a high power of 35.2 kW kg−1 is shown which corresponds to a high current density of 147 C and a fully discharge within 10 s. The battery also has impressive cycling stability that a 100% Columbic efficiency is maintained and shows negligible capacity degradation after 1000 cycle at a high current density of 7.35 C. Using the polymer cathode and a dipotassium terephthalate anode, a full battery with superior energy density and cycling stability is demonstrated among all reported all‐organic full potassium ion batteries. A potassium‐organic battery delivers a record high energy density of 113 Wh kg−1 at 35.2 kW kg−1 (full discharge achieved within 10 s at 147 C) and a long‐term cycling stability over 1000 cycles. A simple polymerization processing, which enables comprehensive tuning of redox kinetics, electronic structures, and electrode/electrolyte interfaces of the polymer cathodes, is revealed.