Lignin as Polymer Electrolyte Precursor for Stable and Sustainable Potassium Batteries

Potassium batteries show interesting peculiarities as large-scale energy storage systems and, in this scenario, the formulation of polymer electrolytes obtained from sustainable resources or waste-derived products represents a milestone activity. In this study, a lignin-based membrane is designed by crosslinking a pre-oxidized Kraft lignin matrix with an ethoxylated difunctional oligomer, leading to self-standing membranes that are able to incorporate solvated potassium salts. The in-depth electrochemical characterization highlights a wide stability window (up to 4 V) and an ionic conductivity exceeding 10(-3) S cm(-1) at ambient temperature. When potassium metal cell prototypes are assembled, the lignin-based electrolyte attains significant electrochemical performances, with an initial specific capacity of 168 mAh g(-1) at 0.05 A g(-1) and an excellent operation for more than 200 cycles, which is an unprecedented outcome for biosourced systems in potassium batteries.

Automated summary

In this study, a lignin-based electrolyte was successfully designed, which exhibited a wide stability window and high ionic conductivity, leading to significant electrochemical performance improvement in potassium batteries. This represents a milestone in utilizing renewable resources for potassium battery research.