Alloy‐Boosted Potassiophilic Membrane Interphase for Ultrastable K Metal Anodes
Xiaopeng Chen, Mingxiang Zhang, Li Jia, Yuyang Yi, Yiwen Su, Xueyu Lian, Miaoyu Lu, Yuhan Zou, Ziang Chen, Yuyuan Wang, Jiaxi Gu, Wen Zhao, Xianzhong Yang, Jingyu SunAbstract
The advancement of K metal anodes has long been hindered by challenges including dendrite proliferation and volume expansion amid electrochemical cycles. Generic interlayer design for extended anodes and its K uptake/release mechanism remain unexplored to date. Herein, a generic alloy‐boosted strategy is reported to devise a ZnX‐loaded (X = S, Se or Te) porous carbon nanofiber (PCNF) membrane as an efficient 3D interphase layer for K metal anodes. Theoretical computations and experimental investigations suggest that representative ZnTe acts as an alloying site, thereby reducing the nucleation energy barrier and optimizing the deposition pattern of K. Such a maneuver enables dendrite‐free plating of K metal within the interface layer, which facilitates the construction of an extended K anode. As a result, the symmetric cell modified with ZnTe@PCNF demonstrates a lifespan of over 3100 h. When coupled with a cathode, the full cell delivers a capacity retention of 94% after 500 cycles at 1.0 A g⁻¹, showing its potential for the development of practically viable K metal batteries.