Potassium barium hexacyanoferrate – A potential cathode material for rechargeable calcium ion batteries

Potassium barium hexacyanoferrate (K2BaFe(CN)6) was investigated as a cathode material for reversible Ca2+ ion insertion/extraction type rechargeable battery using non-aqueous electrolytes. The electrochemical performance of K2BaFe(CN)6was evaluated using cyclic voltammetry and galvanic cycling at ambient temperature. It is shown that addition of water led to significant enhancement in intercalation and de-intercalation of Ca2+ ions, leading to improved charge/discharge capacity. The enhancement in performance is attributed to formation of solvation spheres around the intercalating Ca2+ ions which provide screening from the electrostatic charges of the BaFe(CN)6 lattice. A reversible capacity of 55.8 mA hr g−1 and a coulombic efficiency of 93.8% was demonstrated at the end of 30 charge/discharge cycles.