Zinc sulfide quantum dots modified 3D Nitrogen-Doped framework carbon enhances the ion transport rate of potassium ion hybrid capacitors

[Display omitted] •The strong coupling between ZnSQDs and 3DNC material improves K+ transfer rates.•3DNC enhances the cathode’s performance, facilitating the transmission of FSI-.•The DK+ range of ZnSQDs@3DNC is from 10−10 to 10−9 cm2 s−1.•The energy density of PIHCs reaches 179.9 Wh kg−1, cycling life over 10,000 cycles. The potassium-ion hybrid capacitor (PIHC) has garnered considerable attention due to its ability to leverage the advantages of both battery-type anodes and capacitor-type cathodes simultaneously. Nevertheless, the slow K+ transfer rate between the PIHC battery-type anode and capacitor-type cathode significantly impedes the overall performance. Herein, we have employed quantum-sized zinc sulfide (ZnS) immobilized within a three-dimensional N-doped porous carbon framework (ZnSQDS@3DNC) as a standalone anode. The corresponding three-dimensional N-doped porous carbon (3DNC) serves as the cathode, thereby constructing a PIHC device. The strong coupling between ZnS quantum dots and N-doped three-dimensional porous carbon material effectively enhances ion/electron transport, facilitating intercalation-conversion-exfoliation reactions and improving K+ transfer rates. The numerous active sites within the 3DNC significantly enhance the capacitance performance of the cathode, facilitating the reversible adsorption and desorption of FSI-. The values of DK+ have all been calculated to be within the range of 10-10 to 10-9 cm2 s−1, indicating the rapid diffusion capability of this ZnSQDs@3DNC structure. More impressively, the assembled PIHC device can achieve high energy densities of 179.9 Wh kg−1 at power densities of 200 W kg−1, with an ultralong cycling life over 10,000 cycles. This study serves to advance the development of metal-ion hybrid capacitors and provides direction for improving ion transport kinetics.