Ethoxycarbonyl-Based Organic Electrode for Li-Batteries

Currently, batteries are being both considered and utilized in a variety of large-scale applications. Materials sustainability stands as a key issue for future generations of batteries. One alternative to the use of a finite supply of mined materials is the use of renewable organic materials. However, before addressing issues regarding the sustainability of a given organic electrode, fundamental questions relating to the structure function relationships between organic components and battery performance must first be explored. Herein we report the synthesis, characterization, and device performance of an organic salt, lithium 2,6-bis(ethoxycarbonyl)-3,7-dioxo-3,7-dihydro-s-indacene-1,5-bis(olate), capable of reversibly intercalating with minimal polarization 1.8 Li per unit formula over two main voltage plateaus located at similar to 1.96 and similar to 1.67 V (vs. Li/Li+), leading to an overall capacity of 125 mAh/g. Proton NMR and in situ XRD analyses of battery cycling versus Li at room temperature reveal that the insertion-deinsertion process is fully reversible with the dips in the voltage composition traces, which are associated with changes in the 3D structural packing of the electrochemically active molecules.