2023 roadmap for potassium-ion batteries

Abstract

The heavy reliance of lithium-ion batteries 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 utilisation 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 lithium-ion 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.

Bio-inspired carbon electrodes for metal-ion batteries

“…In contrast to lithium, potassium and sodium are relatively more abundant in the Earth's crust, which could alleviate the paucity of Li metal, especially from the standpoint of kW kg −1 of stored energy. 21,22 The larger size of Na and K ions hinders their mobility within layered electrodes, which is a key issue limiting the structural stability of Na and K layer compounds during cycling. 23 Zn-and Al-ion batteries are other competing energy storage systems for alkali-metal batteries.…”

Optimization Strategies Toward Functional Sodium‐Ion Batteries

“…For example, in situ XRD is more suitable for crystalline rather than amorphous materials, NMR is limited for elements with non-zero spin nuclei, etc. [6,7,228] It is also suggested to combine theoretical calculations with in situ characterizations to provide a more comprehensive understanding of electrochemical mechanisms in SIBs both theoretically and experimentally.…”

Advancing the Manufacture of Metal Anodes for Metal Batteries

“…These properties play a decisive role in determining the electrochemical performance of metal anodes. In addition, the storage and processing atmosphere (e.g., compositions of volatile solvent gases and oxygen/moisture level in a glovebox) affects the surface species of metal anodes . As a result, it is crucial to clarify the dominating factors and optimize the repeatability, generality, and scalability of the manufacturing process from raw metal materials to metal anodes for MBs.…”