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Regulating the Microstructure of the Layered Oxide Cathode through the Annealing Process for High-Performance
Xiaowei Liu1, Yaqing Guo2, Yinhan Zhang1
1State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, P. R. China.
Chem & Bio Engineering
|October 29, 2025
Summary
Optimizing the annealing process for potassium-ion layered transition-metal oxides (KxTmO2) enhances microstructure and K+ diffusion. This leads to improved cycling stability and electrochemical performance in potassium-ion batteries.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrochemistry
- Energy Storage
Background:
- Potassium-ion layered transition-metal oxides (KxTmO2) offer high theoretical capacity and suitable operating voltage for batteries.
- Complex phase evolutions during ion exchange limit cycling stability and rate performance in these materials.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of the annealing process in modulating the microstructure of KxTmO2.
- To enhance the electrochemical performance of layered cathodes through optimized annealing.
Main Methods:
- Systematic variation of annealing parameters, focusing on annealing rate and time.
- Characterization of microstructural changes and phase transitions.
- Electrochemical testing to evaluate cycling stability and rate performance.
Main Results:
- Optimal annealing conditions, specifically 500 minutes (KMNM-500), resulted in a low-defect crystal structure and simplified phase transitions.
- The optimized annealing process significantly improved K+ diffusion dynamics.
- The KMNM-500 sample demonstrated excellent cycling stability with minimal capacity loss (0.048% per cycle at 0.5 A g-1).
Conclusions:
- The annealing process is a critical factor in controlling the microstructure and electrochemical properties of KxTmO2 cathodes.
- Optimized annealing enhances K+ diffusion, leading to superior cycling stability and performance.
- This study provides a mechanism for optimizing layered cathode materials for advanced potassium-ion batteries.
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