近日，课题组赵文老师与苏州大学孙靖宇教授课题组、上海理工大学杨先中副教授课题组和香港理工大学易雨阳团队合作，提出了一种通用的合金增强策略，通过设计ZnX负载（X=S、Se或Te）的多孔碳纳米纤维（PCNF）膜，作为钾金属负极的高效三维界面层。理论计算与实验研究表明，ZnTe作为一种代表性材料，能够作为合金化位点，有效降低成核能垒并优化钾的沉积模式。合作论文“Alloy-Boosted Potassiophilic Membrane Interphase for Ultrastable K Metal Anodes”被 Advanced Functional Materials 杂志（SCI一区，IF = 19.924）接收。2022级硕士研究生张明翔同学参与了计算，苏州大学陈晓鹏、中国石油大学（华东）张明翔、北京石墨烯研究院李佳为论文共同第一作者，苏州大学孙靖宇、上海理工大学杨先中、中国石油大学（华东）赵文、香港理工大学易雨阳为论文共同通讯作者。
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.
