Superfast Mass Transport of Na/K Via Mesochannels for Dendrite-Free Metal Batteries

Fast ion diffusion in anode hosts enabling uniform distribution of Li/Na/K is essential for achieving dendrite-free alkali-metal batteries. Common strategies, e.g. expanding the interlayer spacing of anode materials, can enhance bulk diffusion of Li but are less efficient for Na and K due to their larger ionic radius. Herein, a universal strategy to drastically improve the mass-transport efficiency of Na/K by introducing open mesochannels in carbon hosts is proposed. Such pore engineering can increase the accessible surface area by one order of magnitude, thus remarkably accelerating surface diffusion, as visualized by in situ transmission electron microscopy. In particular, once the mesochannels are filled by the Na/K metals, they become the superfast channels for mass transport via the mechanism of interfacial diffusion. Thus-modified carbon hosts enable Na/K filling in their inner cavities and uniform deposition across the whole electrodes with fast kinetics. The resulting Na-metal anodes can exhibit stable dendrite-free cycling with outstanding rate performance at a high current density of up to 30 mA cm(-2). This work presents an inspiring attempt to address the sluggish transport issue of Na/K, as well as valuable insights into the mass-transport mechanism in porous anodes for high-performance alkali-metal storage.

Automated summary

Fast ion diffusion in anode hosts is crucial for dendrite-free alkali-metal batteries. Expanding the interlayer spacing of anode materials is an effective strategy for Li diffusion, but not as efficient for Na and K. This study proposes a universal strategy to enhance the mass-transport efficiency of Na/K by introducing open mesochannels in carbon hosts. The modified carbon hosts enable uniform deposition of Na/K and stable dendrite-free cycling with outstanding rate performance.