Performance of B 18 N 18 and B 18 P 18 as anodes in metal-ion batteries (MIBs) were examined. Effects of halogen adoption of B 18 N 18 and B 18 P 18 as anodes in MIBs were examined. The B 18 P 18 as anode in MIBs has larger potential than B 18 N 18 . The K-ion battery takes larger voltage of cell and performance than Na- and Li-ion batteries. The halogen adoption of B 18 N 18 and B 18 P 18 improves the cell voltage of MIBs. The storage capacities of B 18 N 18 and B 18 P 18 nanocages for Li-ion batteries are 893 and 795 mAh/g, respectively. The cell voltages of F-doped MIBs were larger than Br- and Cl-doped MIBs. The F-B 17 P 18 as anode in K-ion battery proposed as novel MIBs with the highest performance. © 2019 Elsevier B.V.