First-principles study of intercalation of alkali ions in FeSe for solid-state batteries

Electrochemical properties of alkali ions (Li+, Na+, and K+) intercalating into FeSe have been studied based on first-principles calculations within density functional theory. The intercalation sites of lithium ions are found to be different from sodium and potassium ions due to the small ionic radius of lithium. Calculations of minimum energy path on the diffusions of Li+, Na+, and K+ in FeSe show that the activation energies for those alkali ions increase with their ionic radii. Lithium ions have a rather smaller diffusion barrier of about 0.20 eV, which leads to a bigger diffusion coefficient of about 6.3×10-6cm2/s. We also show that FeSe has a flat discharging stage at about 1.0 V with lithium ions. These results indicate that XFe2Se2 (X = Li, Na, K) may be potential electrochemical active materials, especially for solid-state electrolyte and supercapacitors.