Enhanced electrochemical performance of K0.67[Ni0.3Mn0.6Co0.1] O2 as a cathode material for secondary K-Ion batteries: Improved K-Ion insertion and reduced charge transfer barrier

Potassium-ion batteries, with their high operating voltage and cost-efficiency, emerged as promising contenders for large-scale energy storage system. Nevertheless, the practical application is hindered by the significant challenges of achieving high capacity and good rate capability in cathodes. Herein, a novel layered oxide cathode, K_0.67[Ni_0.3Mn_0.6Co_0.1] O₂ (KNMCO), has been synthesized via solid-state (S-KNMCO) and co-precipitation (C-KNMCO) routes. The X-Ray diffraction (XRD) peaks of KNMCO are identified in R3 m space group and well-indexed to hexagonal unit cell. The FE-SEM shows non-spherical morphologies for both samples. Additionally, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) images of the synthesized cathode materials shows the interlayer spacing of S-KNMCO is higher than that of C-KNMCO. Furthermore, the electrochemical performance of S-KNMCO and C-KNMCO is characterized using K-metal as anode and electrolyte KPF₆ in EC/DEC (1:1, v/v). The S-KNMCO and C-KNMCO exhibit the maximum specific discharge capacity of ∼101 mAhg^-1 and ∼66 mAhg^-1 at the current rate of C/20 respectively. Additionally, these cells show the good rate capability and coulombic efficiency (∼94%). This research offers novel perspectives on the development of cathode substances for KIBs.