High and Reversible Lithium Ion Storage in Self-Exfoliated Triazole-Triformyl Phloroglucinol-Based Covalent Organic Nanosheets

Covalent organic framework (COF) can grow into self-exfoliated nanosheets. Their graphene/graphite resembling microtexture and nanostructure suits electrochemical applications. Here, covalent organic nanosheets (CON) with nanopores lined with triazole and phloroglucinol units, neither of which binds lithium strongly, and its potential as an anode in Li-ion battery are presented. Their fibrous texture enables facile amalgamation as a coin-cell anode, which exhibits exceptionally high specific capacity of approximate to 720 mA h g(-1) (@100 mA g(-1)). Its capacity is retained even after 1000 cycles. Increasing the current density from 100 mA g(-1) to 1 A g(-1) causes the specific capacity to drop only by 20%, which is the lowest among all high-performing anodic COFs. The majority of the lithium insertion follows an ultrafast diffusion-controlled intercalation (diffusion coefficient, D-Li(+) = 5.48 x 10(-11) cm(2) s(-1)). The absence of strong Li-framework bonds in the density functional theory (DFT) optimized structure supports this reversible intercalation. The discrete monomer of the CON shows a specific capacity of only 140 mA h g(-1) @50 mA g(-1) and no sign of lithium intercalation reveals the crucial role played by the polymeric structure of the CON in this intercalation-assisted conductivity. The potentials mapped using DFT suggest a substantial electronic driving-force for the lithium intercalation. The findings underscore the potential of the designer CON as anode material for Li-ion batteries.