Regulating Interfacial Ion and Electron Transport for Dendrite‐Free Potassium Metal Anodes
Potassium metal batteries (PMBs) face challenges of interfacial instability and dendritic growth. Herein, an integrated potassium metal anode (K-Cu@OC) is fabricated by cold-rolling metallic K with an intermediate medium composed of Cu nanoparticle-embedded oxygen-doped carbon composite, enabling simultaneous regulation of ion transport and electron localization at the interface. Experimental and theoretical analyses indicate that oxygen species functional groups boost K<sup>+</sup> transport kinetics and guide uniform nucleation. Meanwhile, the Cu/OC heterointerface promotes directional electron transfer and spatially regulated K<sup>+</sup> uniform deposition by establishing localized electron-rich regions. Consequently, the anode interface remains dendrite-free and exhibits enhanced electrochemical stability. The symmetric cell exhibits exceptional cycling stability exceeding 2800 h at 0.5 mA cm<sup>-2</sup> and 1480 h at 1.0 mA cm<sup>-2</sup>. Furthermore, the full cell maintains a reversible capacity of 93.4 mAh g<sup>-2</sup> over 600 cycles with minimal voltage hysteresis. This work highlights the critical role of interfacial chemical and electronic engineering in stabilizing K metal anodes, providing a scalable and practical strategy for achieving high-performance PMBs.
Authors
- Qinfen Gu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9209-4208)
- Xuan‐Wen Gao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-3313-9892)
- Zhaomeng Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-7104-8616)
- Lu‐Kang Zhao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-1252-9602)
- Wen Luo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9886-5461)
- Yue Lu
- Xuanchen Wang
- Yu-hua Bian
Institutions
- Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (AU)
- Australian Synchrotron (AU)
- Northeastern University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Small
- Published
- 2025-11-14
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202510973
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Advanced Battery Materials and Technologies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.73
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities