Potential for Disruption with Organic Magnesium-Ion Batteries

Bryony McAllister earned her BSc in Chemistry from the University of Victoria in 2015. She is currently an NSERC CGS-D doctoral student in the Seferos Lab in the Chemistry Department at the University of Toronto. Her current research focuses on the design of organic conjugated and pendant polymers for high-voltage supercapacitors and batteries. Luke Kyne obtained his HBSc in Chemistry and Psychology as a C. David Naylor Scholar at the University of Toronto in 2018. As an NSERC USRA and SOUSCC Award recipient, Luke has been investigating the applications of novel organic cathode materials in lithium- and magnesium-ion batteries as a member of the Seferos Lab. Tyler Schon received his BSc in chemistry from the University of Western Ontario in 2012 and completed his PhD at the University of Toronto in 2017, under the supervision of Prof. Seferos, where he developed novel organic polymers for energy storage devices. Tyler is currently CEO of Pliant Power Devices, a company he co-founded in 2017 commercializing sustainable battery technology. Dwight Seferos is a Professor of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, and the Canada Research Chair in Polymer Nanotechnology at the University of Toronto. Seferos has authored or coauthored over 100 publications, holds numerous patents, and has been recognized by many national and international awards including the DuPont Young Professor Award, Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship, CSC Strem Chemical Award, and ACS Harry Gray Award. Magnesium-ion batteries are safer, inexpensive alternatives to current lithium-ion technologies. The viability of magnesium-ion technology depends heavily on the development of next-generation cathode materials, as current inorganic materials experience severe challenges. The inherent properties of organic materials, such as flexible bonds, resonance stabilization, and the ease of synthetic modification can confer high stability, rate, voltage, and capacity. Herein, we discuss key findings that highlight the potentially disruptive future of organic materials for magnesium-ion batteries. © 2018 Elsevier Inc.