Unlock the Potassium Storage Behavior of Single-Phased Tungsten Selenide Nanorods via Large Cation Insertion.

Zhao, Zhongchen; Xu, Tian; Yu, Xuebin · Adv Mater · 2023

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

Metal chalcogenide anodes with a layered structure have been regarded as potential K-based electrochemical energy storage devices with high energy density for large-scale energy storage applications. However, their development is impeded by the slow K-ion transport kinetics and poor structural stability. In this work, the energy-storage behavior is investigated first and decisively associated them with the capacity-degradation of the promising layer-structured WSe<sub>2</sub> from an integrated chemical and physical point of view. Then, a single-phased WSe<sub>2</sub> with pre-intercalated high K content (SP-K<sub>x</sub> WSe<sub>2</sub> ) is designed to overcome the capacity-degradation issue fundamentally. Theoretical calculations clarify the beneficial effect of K-ions inside the interlayer of WSe<sub>2</sub> on boosting its electrochemical performance, including increasing the electronic conductivity, promoting the K-ion diffusivity, and improving the structural stability. The novel design enables the K-ions pre-intercalated WSe<sub>2</sub> anode material to exhibit a high reversible specific capacity of 211 mAh g<sup>-1</sup> at 5 A g<sup>-1</sup> and superior cycling stability (89.3% capacity retention after 5000 cycles at 1 A g<sup>-1</sup> ). Especially, the K-ion hybrid capacitor, assembled from the anode of SP-K<sub>x</sub> WSe<sub>2</sub> and the cathode of porous activated carbon, delivers superior energy-density up to 175 Wh kg<sup>-1</sup> , high power-density as well as exceptional cycling stability.