Electrodeposition of the NaK Alloy with a Liquid Organic Electrolyte

Sodium-potassium alloys have recently been proposed as anode materials for liquid metal batteries because they can form a liquid phase at room temperature for a wide range of compositions. In this work, the electrodeposition morphology of this NaK alloy is revealed through in situ optical imaging. We report that the NaK alloy deposits dendritically akin to solid sodium anodes in liquid organic electrolytes. However, when sodium is deposited on a potassium-rich alloy, dendrite formation is greatly mitigated but not prevented.