Na-K liquid alloy: A review on wettability enhancement and ionic carrier selection mechanism

Abstract The intrinsic liquid interface of Na-K alloy allays concerns about dendrite growth on metal anodes that are thermodynamically within the room temperature (20–22 °C). Nevertheless, it hinders the formation of a stable electrode structure due to the inferior wettability induced by considerable liquid tension. In addition, the dominant ionic carrier in the Na-K alloy is subject to multiple factors, which is not conducive to customized battery design. This review, based on recently reported frontier achievements on Na-K liquid anodes, summarizes practical strategies for promoting the wettability by high-temperature induction, capillary effect, vacuum infiltration, and solid interface protection. Furthermore, four selection mechanisms of the dominant ionic carrier are presented: (1) ion property dominated, (2) cathode dominated, (3) separator dominated, and (4) solid electrolyte interface dominated. Notably, initial electrolytes in energy storage systems have been unable to play a decisive role in ionic selection. Utilizing a superior wettability strategy and simultaneously identifying the dominant ionic carrier can facilitate the tailored application of dendrite-free Na-K liquid anodes.