Carbon-nanotube-cored poly(3-butylthiophene) as a one-dimensional nanohybrid strategy for high-performance potassium-ion battery anodes.

[Display omitted] • The K+ storage performance of one-dimensional P3BT@CNT is superior to previous organic PIBs anode materials. • The strong π-π interaction between P3BT and CNT enables the superior cycling stability. • The cation-π interaction between K+ and P3BT is enhanced by the addition of CNT. Potassium ion batteries (PIBs) are a potential alternative to lithium ion batteries (LIBs)for energy preservation usage. The risks related to the highly active K metal have aroused the exploration of alternative high-performance anode materials for PIBs. Herein, the carbon-nanotube-cored poly(3-butylthiophene) (denoted as P3BT@CNT) is proposed as a one-dimensional (1D) nanohybrid strategy to develop an advanced PIB anode. The superior K+ storage performance of P3BT@CNT has been demonstrated via a combination of experiments and theoretical calculations. CNTs in this nanohybrid play an important role on enhancing the electrochemical performances, providing macroscopical profits and interacting with P3BT in molecular level. The K+ storage mechanism of cation-π effect between K+ and π-electrons of thiophene ring is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]