Sodium- and potassium-ion batteries based on highly ordered electrode architectures

可充电离子电池为塑造现代世界做出了巨大贡献，被认为是间歇性可再生能源的有效储存和利用。尽管锂离子电池（LIBs）已经主导了市场几十年，但潜在的成本上升和全球锂资源分布不均已经引起了人们对可预见未来锂离子电池可负担性的担忧。这就需要地球上储量丰富的金属离子电池。为了在未来的市场中发挥这种电池的潜力，无疑需要高容量、高倍率和长寿命的卓越电池性能。该项目的目标是开发可充电钠离子和钾离子电池（SIBs和PIBs），在有机和水电解质中，全面提高全电池性能。本项目提出三维结构阵列作为SIB和PIB电极，旨在同时提高电子导电性、离子可及性和电极完整性。研究重点包括电极设计和材料设计以及电化学机理的研究，从而揭示活性材料与其结构之间的协同效应。该项目的成功实施不仅将促进SIB和PIB电极制造方法的发展，而且将对未来的电池市场产生显著影响。

Rechargeable ion batteries have contributed immensely for shaping the modern world and been considered as efficient storage and utilization of intermittent renewable energies. Although lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have dominated the market for decades, the potentially rising costs and uneven distribution of global lithium resources have caused concerns on the affordability of LIBs in foreseeable future. This calls for alternative earth-abundant metal-ion batteries. To fulfill the potential of such batteries in the future market, superior battery performance of high capacity, great rate capability, and long lifespan is undoubtedly required. The objective of this project is to develop rechargeable sodium- and potassium-ion batteries (SIBs and PIBs) in both organic and aqueous electrolytes with comprehensively improved full-cell performance. This project proposes three-dimensional architectured arrays as SIB and PIB electrodes and aims at improving electronic conductivity, ion accessibility, and electrode integrity simultaneously. The research foci cover electrode-design and material-design as well as study on electrochemical mechanisms, through which the synergetic effect could be revealed between active materials and their architectured structures. Successful implementation of this project will not only promote the development of the fabrication methodology of SIB and PIB electrodes but also bring remarkable impact to the battery market in future.