The Need

Potassium-based batteries are attractive for large-scale energy storage due to potassium’s abundance and favorable electrochemical properties. However, commercial development is limited by the lack of suitable solid electrolytes that combine high potassium-ion conductivity, chemical stability with reactive potassium metal, and scalable, low-cost processing. Existing potassium solid electrolytes often suffer from low conductivity, poor interfacial stability, or require extremely high-temperature processing, making them impractical for safe, durable, and economically viable battery systems.

The Technology

OSU researchers have developed a family of potassium-based antiperovskite solid-state electrolytes with tunable composition and defect chemistry. The materials exhibit a robust crystalline structure and undergo a reversible solid–solid transition that significantly enhances potassium-ion transport at elevated temperatures. By controlled compositional modification, including targeted cation substitution, ionic conductivity and transport kinetics can be substantially improved while maintaining compatibility with potassium metal electrodes, enabling stable operation in demanding battery environments.

Commercial Applications

• Solid-state potassium metal batteries for grid-scale energy storage
• High-temperature rechargeable batteries (e.g., molten alkali systems)
• Potassium–sulfur or potassium–oxygen battery platforms
• Specialty energy storage systems requiring nonflammable solid electrolytes

Benefits/Advantages

• High ionic conductivity at operating temperatures
• Excellent chemical stability with potassium metal
• Scalable, solid-state synthesis routes
• Compositional tunability