A Superior Potassium-Ion Anode Material from Pitch-based Activated Carbon Fibers with Hierarchical Pore Structure Prepared by Metal Catalytic Activation

The pitch-based activated carbon fibers with nickel sulfide nanoparticles (ACF/NiS) were designed by in situ polymerization of ethylene tar with the addition of nickel nitrate followed by melt spinning, stabilization, carbonization, steam activation, and vulcanization processes. The ACF/NiS with hierarchical pore structure and abundant active sites was used as an anode material to improve Coulombic efficiency and increase capacity of potassium-ion batteries (PIBs). The results showed the obtained ACF/NiS with excellent specific surface area of 1552 m2 g–1 and high mesopore volume contribution of 38%, which delivered a high initial Coulombic efficiency of 84.22%, a high capacity of 292.5 mAh g–1, and retained 95.7% capacity retention after 200 cycles at 0.5 A g–1 current density. The NiS provided abundant active sites for the adsorption of potassium-ion, and the rich hierarchical structure shortened the electrolyte penetration path and expanded the storage space of potassium-ion, making it easier to store potassium-ion inside the ACF/NiS anode to obtain a better performance. This work presented one strategy for designing the hierarchical pore structure of pitch-based ACF to boost the capacity storage of PIBs and revealed that ACF-based carbon materials served as potential anodes for high-performance PIBs.