Uniform P2-K_0.6CoO₂ Microcubes as a High-Energy Cathode Material for Potassium-Ion Batteries

Layered transition-metal (TM) oxides have drawn ever-growing interest as positive electrode materials in potassium-ion batteries (PIBs). Nevertheless, the practical implementation of these positive electrode materials is seriously hampered by their inferior cyclic property and rate performance. Reported here is a self-templating strategy to prepare homogeneous P2-K_0.6CoO₂ (KCO) microcubes. Benefiting from the unusual microcube architecture, the interface between the electrolyte and the active material is considerably diminished. As a result, the KCO microcubes manifest boosted electrochemical properties for potassium storage including large reversible capacity (87.2 mAh g^-1 under 20 mA g^-1), superior rate performance, and ultralong cyclic steady (an improved capacity retention of 86.9% under 40 mA g^-1 after 1000 cycles). More importantly, the fabrication approach can be effectively extended to prepare other layered TM oxide (P3-K_0.5MnO₂, P3-K_0.5Mn_0.8Fe_0.2O₂, P2-K_0.6Co_0.67Mn_0.33O₂, and P2-K_0.6Co_0.66Mn_0.17Ni_0.17O₂) microcubes and nonlayered TM oxide (KFeO₂) microcubes.