Controllable Growth of Crystal Facets Enables Superb Cycling Stability of Anode Material for Potassium Ion Batteries

Abstract

AbstractTo enrich the crystal growth strategies for the booming applications concerning lattice structure, a preferred facet‐growth method is proposed for solvothermal synthesis of target (BiO)2CO3 in the two‐phase system. The dominant crystal phase can be regulated from α‐Fe2O3 to (BiO)2CO3 by properly increasing dosage of Bi feedstock, and the optimized composite is composed of (BiO)2CO3 nanocrystal (≈10 nm) and amorphous iron oxide (defined as “FOB‐50”). Based on experimental characterizations and theoretical calculations, the highly matched lattice between (006)/(0012) facets of α‐Fe2O3 and {010} facet group of (BiO)2CO3 involving orientation of Fe─O─Fe bond and Bi─O─Bi bond is verified to facilitate the interaction between the above facets, resulting in preferred growth of {010} dominated by (040) facet in (BiO)2CO3 and its composites. The structural merits can not only enable the FOB‐50‐based electrodes to achieve a high capacity and unprecedentedly stable cyclic performances for 1500 cycles/a long time‐span of 32 months as anode materials, but also ensure the full‐cell to well inherit the electrochemical features of the cathode in potassium ion batteries (PIBs). This work can provide new insight into lattice regulation for bismuth‐based materials and expand their application as electrodes for high performance PIBs and lithium ion batteries.