The inevitable problem of dendrites growth has hampered the further development of K metal anodes. Constructing a three-dimensional anode framework and potassiophilic nanocoating is an effective way to enlarge the specific surface area, reduce the local current density, and inhibit the formation of K dendrites. However, the effects of the electrochemically active surface area (ECSA) of the framework on deposition behavior have not been clarified. Hence, SnS2 nanosheets with different sizes are loaded on the surface of carbon paper (SnS2@CP) to improve the potassiophilicity and realize dendrite-free K-metal anodes. Experiments reveal that the size of SnS2 nanosheets would determine the ECSA of the framework, while the ECSA reveals the relative sizes of specific surface areas of frameworks. Excessive or limited specific surface areas will cause morphological collapse or weak potassiophilicity during potassiation, respectively, thus leading to high nucleation overpotential. The moderate specific surface area and abundant and stable potassiophilic sites prompt the SnS2@CP framework to achieve uniform electrodeposition of K. A low nucleation overpotential of 11.2 mV and a cycle life of more than 800 h are exhibited at a current density of 0.25 mA cm-2, indicating the directional strategy for stable and safe K metal anodes.
Keywords: dendrite-free K metal anode; electrochemically active surface area; high K absorption energy; low nucleation overpotential; potassiophilic K−Sn alloy.