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Rational design of integrative CNTs@Ge nanotube films as binder-free electrodes for potassium storage

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Abstract

Alloying materials hold great potential as the anodes for potassium-ion batteries (KIBs). However, the large volume changes during K+ alloying/dealloying reactions can lead to structural damage of the electrodes, resulting in fast capacity loss and shortened cycle life. Herein, we report the design of integrative carbon nanotubes@germanium (CNTs@Ge) films on copper foil by combined chemical and physical vapor deposition. Electrochemical tests show that the integrative CNTs@Ge films, working as binder-free electrodes, demonstrate higher specific capacity and rate performance in comparison with pristine Ge and CNTs electrodes. In addition, the CNTs@Ge films also deliver a long cycling stability with an areal specific capacity of 0.0417 mAh·cm−2 after 450 cycles at 1000 μA·cm−2. The enhanced potassium storage properties can be attributed to the interweaved CNTs with abundant space that can effectively buffer the volume expansion of Ge during alloying/dealloying process.

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摘要

合金材料作为钾离子电池 (KIB) 的负极具有巨大的潜力。然而, K+合金化/脱合金反应过程中的大体积变化会导致电极的结构损坏, 导致容量快速损失和循环寿命缩短。在此, 我们报道了一种通过化学和物理气相沉积在铜箔上设计集成碳纳米管@锗 (CNTs@Ge)薄膜。电化学测试表明, 与原始的Ge和CNTs电极相比, 作为无粘合剂电极的CNTs@Ge膜表现出更高的比容量和倍率性能。此外, CNTs@Ge薄膜还具有长循环稳定性, 在1000 μA·cm-2下循环 450 次后面积比容量为 0.0417 mAh·cm-2。钾存储性能的增强是因为具有丰富空间的交织碳纳米管可以有效缓冲合金化/脱合金过程中Ge的体积膨胀。

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Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 51972182 and 61971252), Shandong Provincial Natural Science Foundation (Nos. ZR2021YQ42 and ZR2020JQ27) and the Youth Innovation Team Project of Shandong Provincial Education Department (No. 2020KJN015).

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  1. Jia-Yue Xie and Kai Wang contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Physics, Center for Marine Observation and Communications, Qingdao University, Qingdao, 266071, China

    Jia-Yue Xie, Kai Wang, Ning-Ning Li, Guang-Lu Lei, Hou-Shan Mei, Xiang-Hong Liu & Jun Zhang

  2. Key Laboratory of Advanced Energy Materials Chemistry (Ministry of Education), Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China

    Xiang-Hong Liu

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  1. Jia-Yue Xie
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Xie, JY., Wang, K., Li, NN. et al. Rational design of integrative CNTs@Ge nanotube films as binder-free electrodes for potassium storage. Rare Met. 41, 3107–3116 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12598-022-01998-z

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