Potassium-ion batteries (PIBs) are considered a viable substitute for lithium-ion batteries owing to the natural abundance and inexpensive nature of potassium. However, their commercialization is impeded by challenges such as dendrite formation, significant volume expansion, slow ion diffusion, and the scarcity of suitable anode materials, while potassium metal anodes additionally face severe dendrite formation. In this work, to address these issues, a Chitin-derived nitrogen-doped porous carbon anode material (HC-3) with a large specific surface area and a mesoporous structure was prepared via ZnCl2 chemical activation. When used as an anode for PIBs, the HC-3 performed a high reversible capacity of 257 mAh g−1 at 50 mA g−1 and outstanding cycling stability, retaining 240 mAh g−1 after 100 cycles. It also demonstrated superior rate capability, delivering capacities of 197, 133, 102, and 70 mAh g−1 at 100, 250, 500, and 1000 mA g−1, respectively. Notably, when the current was reduced back to 50 mA g−1, a capacity of 232 mAh g−1 was restored, demonstrating excellent structural reversibility. The superior electrochemical performance is ascribed to the synergistic effect of a hierarchical porous architecture and in-situ nitrogen doping, which facilitate K+ transport kinetics, offer abundant active sites for K+ storage, and accommodate volume changes. This work provides a sustainable and effective strategy for developing high-performance carbon anodes from biomass for next-generation energy storage systems.
- Open Access
- Article
N-Doped Chitin-Derived Porous Carbon Materials for Anodes of Potassium-Ion Batteries
- Hua Qiu 1,
- Chuang Liu 1,
- Xianli Wu 1,*,
- Xu Li 2
Author Information
Received: 02 Feb 2026 | Revised: 31 Mar 2026 | Accepted: 10 Apr 2026 | Published: 13 Apr 2026
Abstract
Keywords
N-doped | Chitin-derived porous carbon | anode | potassium-ion batteries
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