Pre-bonded hybrid carbon materials with stable structure as anode for potassium-ion batteries.

This paper presents a novel approach for optimizing potassium-ion battery electrode materials. By employing a pre-bonding technique, we have effectively combined the strengths of hard carbon's rapid potassium-ion adsorption and graphite's extensive potassium storage. The resulting pre-bonded carbon (PBC) composite exhibits remarkable electrochemical performance with exceptional stability. Electrochemical characterizations, along with SEM, Raman, XRD, and macroscopic observations, provide insights into PBC's advantages. PBC's structural integrity, maintained even after extended cycling, highlights its capacity to protect the graphite structure from damage. This buffering effect is especially significant under high current conditions. Furthermore, the pre-bonding process enables PBC to store potassium effectively, ensuring a high energy density for the negative electrode material. In contrast, samples mixed without pre-bonding exhibit poor adhesion between hard carbon and graphite, leading to graphite breakage and reduced electrochemical performance. PBC's simplicity of implementation and compatibility with existing production systems make it a valuable addition to potassium-ion battery development, particularly in large-scale energy storage applications. The findings underscore the significance of pre-bonding as a promising technique to optimize potassium-ion battery electrode materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]