skip to main content
US FlagAn official website of the United States government
dot gov icon
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
https lock icon
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Title: π-Conjugated redox-active two-dimensional polymers as organic cathode materials
Redox-active two-dimensional polymers (RA-2DPs) are promising lithium battery organic cathode materials due to their regular porosities and high chemical stabilities. However, weak electrical conductivities inherent to the non-conjugated molecular motifs used thus far limit device performance and the practical relevance of these materials. We herein address this problem by developing a modular approach to construct π-conjugated RA-2DPs with a new polycyclic aromatic redox-active building block PDI-DA. Efficient imine-condensation between PDI-DA and two polyfunctional amine nodes followed by quantitative alkyl chain removal produced RA-2DPs TAPPy-PDI and TAPB-PDI as conjugated, porous, polycrystalline networks. In-plane conjugation and permanent porosity endow these materials with high electrical conductivity and high ion diffusion rates. As such, both RA-2DPs function as organic cathode materials with good rate performance and excellent cycling stability. Importantly, the improved design enables higher areal mass-loadings than were previously available, which drives a practical demonstration of TAPPy-PDI as the power source for a series of LED lights. Collectively, this investigation discloses viable synthetic methodologies and design principles for the realization of high-performance organic cathode materials.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
2002634
PAR ID:
10329006
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Chemical Science
Volume:
13
Issue:
12
ISSN:
2041-6520
Page Range / eLocation ID:
3533 to 3538
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. Jesus Flores Cerrillo, Praxair (Ed.)
    Molecular design of redox-active materials with higher solubility and greater redox potential windows is instrumental in enhancing the performance of redox flow batteries Here we propose a computational procedure for a systematic evaluation of organic redox-active species by combining machine learning, quantum-mechanical, and classical density functional theory calculations. 1,517 small quinone molecules were generated from the building blocks of benzoquinone, naphthoquinone, and anthraquinone with different substituent groups. The physics-based methods were used to predict HOMO-LUMO gaps and solvation free energies that account for the redox potential differences and aqueous solubility, respectively. The high-throughput calculations were augmented with the quantitative structure-property relationship analyses and machine learning/graph network modeling to evaluate the materials’ overall behavior. The computational procedure was able to reproduce high-performance cathode electrolyte materials consistent with experimental observations and identify new electrolytes for RFBs by screening 100,000 di-substituted quinone molecules, the largest library of redox-active quinone molecules ever investigated. The efficient computational platform may facilitate a better understanding of the structure-function relationship of quinone molecules and advance the design and application of all-organic active materials for RFBs. 
    more » « less
  2. Abstract Organic electrode materials could revolutionize batteries because of their high energy densities, the use of Earth‐abundant elements, and structural diversity which allows fine‐tuning of electrochemical properties. However, small organic molecules and intermediates formed during their redox cycling in lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs) have high solubility in organic electrolytes, leading to rapid decay of cycling performance. We report the use of three cyclotetrabenzil octaketone macrocycles as cathode materials for LIBs. The rigid and insoluble naphthalene‐based cyclotetrabenzil reversibly accepts eight electrons in a two‐step process with a specific capacity of 279 mAh g−1and a stable cycling performance with ≈65 % capacity retention after 135 cycles. DFT calculations indicate that its reduction increases both ring strain and ring rigidity, as demonstrated by computed high distortion energies, repulsive regions in NCI plots, and close [C⋅⋅⋅C] contacts between the naphthalenes. This work highlights the importance of shape‐persistency and ring strain in the design of redox‐active macrocycles that maintain very low solubility in various redox states. 
    more » « less
  3. Abstract Bipolar organic materials have emerged as promising cathode materials for rechargeable batteries because of their high voltage and high capacity. However, they suffer from poor cyclic stability and slow reaction kinetics. In this work, we designed and synthesized two bipolar organic cathode materials, containing carbonyl (n‐type) and amine (p‐type) functional groups, as well as extended conjugation structures, for Na‐ion batteries (NIBs) and rechargeable aluminum batteries (RABs). As universal electrode materials, bipolar organic materials exhibited exceptional electrochemical performance in terms of high capacity, high voltage, long cycle life, and fast rate capability. The extended conjugation structures in backbones of the bipolar organic materials facilitate the π–π stacking with graphene, playing a critical role in the high performance. Furthermore, the formation of a stable and robust NaF‐rich cathode electrolyte interphase was shown to stabilize the bipolar organic cathode in NIBs. Electrochemical kinetic measurements reveal that both functional groups undergo reversible redox reactions. Specifically, the electron transfer rate constant of the p‐type amine group is one order of magnitude higher than that of the n‐type carbonyl group. These results highlight the efficacy of developing bipolar organic materials for achieving high‐performance organic cathode in NIBs and RABs. 
    more » « less
  4. Abstract Avoiding faradaic side reactions during the operation of electrochemical devices is important to enhance the device stability, to achieve low power consumption, and to prevent the formation of reactive side‐products. This is particularly important for bioelectronic devices, which are designed to operate in biological systems. While redox‐active materials based on conducting and semiconducting polymers represent an exciting class of materials for bioelectronic devices, they are susceptible to electrochemical side‐reactions with molecular oxygen during device operation. Here, electrochemical side reactions with molecular oxygen are shown to occur during organic electrochemical transistor (OECT) operation using high‐performance, state‐of‐the‐art OECT materials. Depending on the choice of the active material, such reactions yield hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), a reactive side‐product, which may be harmful to the local biological environment and may also accelerate device degradation. A design strategy is reported for the development of redox‐active organic semiconductors based on donor–acceptor copolymers that prevents the formation of H2O2during device operation. This study elucidates the previously overlooked side‐reactions between redox‐active conjugated polymers and molecular oxygen in electrochemical devices for bioelectronics, which is critical for the operation of electrolyte‐gated devices in application‐relevant environments. 
    more » « less
  5. Abstract Rechargeable Mg batteries are a promising energy storage technology to overcome the limitations inherent to Li ion batteries. A critical challenge in advancing Mg batteries is the lack of suitable cathode materials. In this work, we report a cathode design that incorporates S functionality into two‐dimensional metal‐organic‐frameworks (2D‐MOFs). This new cathode material enables good Mg2+storage capacity and outstanding cyclability. It was found that upon the initial Mg2+insertion and disinsertion, there is an apparent structural transformation that crumbles the layered 2D framework, leading to amorphization. The resulting material serves as the active material to host Mg2+through reduction and/or oxidation of S and, to a limited extent, O. The reversible nature of S and O redox chemistry was confirmed by spectroscopic characterizations and validated by density functional calculations. Importantly, during the Mg2+insertion and disinsertion process, the 2D nature of the framework was maintained, which plays a key role in enabling the high reversibility of the MOF cathode. 
    more » « less