Lignin as polymer electrolyte precursor for stable and sustainable potassium batteries

Potassium batteries show interesting peculiarities as large-scale energy storage systems and, in this scenario, the formulation of polymer electrolytes obtained from sustainable resources or waste-derived products represents a milestone activity. In this study, a lignin-based membrane is designed by crosslinking a pre-oxidized Kraft lignin matrix with an ethoxylated difunctional oligomer, leading to self-standing membranes that are able to incorporate solvated potassium salts. The in-depth electrochemical characterization highlights a wide stability window (up to 4 V) and an ionic conductivity exceeding 10−3 S cm−1 at ambient temperature. When potassium metal cell prototypes are assembled, the lignin-based electrolyte attains significant electrochemical performances, with an initial specific capacity of 168 mAh g−1 at 0.05 A g−1 and an excellent operation for more than 200 cycles, which is an unprecedented outcome for biosourced systems in potassium batteries.