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Chemical cross-linking and mechanically reinforced carbon network constructed by graphene boosts potassium ion storage

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Abstract

Carbon-based electrodes of potassium-ion batteries are of great research interest ascribed to their low cost and environmentally friendly distinctions. However, traditional carbon materials usually exhibit weak mechanical properties and incomplete crosslinking, resulting in poor stability and electrochemical performance. Herein, we report a new strategy for modifying reduced graphene oxide into a uniform few-layer structure through a sol—gel method combined with acid etching treatment. The obtained chemical cross-linking and mechanically reinforced carbon network constructed by graphene (CNCG) demonstrates excellent electrochemical and mechanical properties. Adopted as a free-standing anode (∼ 7 mg·cm−2) for potassium ion battery, the as-achieved CNCG delivers a high reversible specific capacity of 317.7 mAh·g−1 at a current density of 50 mA·g−1 and admirable cycle stability (208.4 mAh·g−1 at 50 mA·g−1 after 500 cycles). The highly reversible structural stability and fully cross-linked properties during potassiation are revealed by ex-situ characterization. This work provides new ideas for the synthesis of new carbon materials and the development of high-performance electrodes.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51904216). The TEM work was performed at the Nanostructure Research Center (NRC), which is supported by the State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing, and the State Key Laboratory of Silicate Materials for Architectures (all the laboratories are at Wuhan University of Technology).

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  1. Chenxu Wang and Ruohan Yu contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, School of Science, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, 430070, China

    Chenxu Wang, Wen Luo & Nuo Xu

  2. State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing, Wuhan University of Technology, 430070, Wuhan, China

    Ruohan Yu, Wen Luo, Wencong Feng, Yuanhao Shen & Liqiang Mai

  3. Nanostructure Research Centre (NRC), Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, 430070, China

    Ruohan Yu

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  1. Chenxu Wang
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Correspondence to Wen Luo.

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Wang, C., Yu, R., Luo, W. et al. Chemical cross-linking and mechanically reinforced carbon network constructed by graphene boosts potassium ion storage. Nano Res. 15, 9019–9025 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-022-4586-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-022-4586-x

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