Accessible COF-Based Functional Materials for Potassium-Ion Batteries and Aluminum Batteries

The porous structure composed of non-metal elements of covalent organic frameworks (COFs) contributes to a large surface area and multifunction, rendering COFs a brilliant material for energy storage. Unfortunately, the low conductivity of most COFs limits their application in batteries. Herein, we fabricate COF-derived nitrogen-doped porous carbon (NPC) using nitrogen-rich COF-JLU2 as precursors by a simple carbonization for potassium-ion batteries (PIBs) and aluminum (Al) batteries for the first time. The computational results suggest that NPC has an enhanced conductivity and optimized electron density distribution. NPC could overcome the low conductivity of COF and thus further optimize its electrochemical performance in PIBs and Al batteries. It displays an excellent stability even after 2500 cycles (as the anode for PIBs) and 30000 cycles (as the cathode for Al batteries) with a high Coulombic efficiency. This fascinating study may be extended in other COFs for energy storage applications.