Organic-Rare Earth Hybrid Anode with Superior Cyclability for Lithium Ion Battery

Organic compounds with electroactive sites are considered as a new generation of green electrode materials for lithium ion batteries. However, exploring effective approaches to design high-capacity molecules and suppressing their solubilization remain big challenges. Herein, a functional anode architecture is first designed by using chemical bonds between organic compound and rare earth hollow structure, which enables active materials to be efficiently utilized, accelerates reaction kinetics, and mitigates undesired dissolution in electrolyte. Compared with pure organic sodium naphthyl-based tetrathiocarboxylate (SNBT) compound and CeO2@Carbon, the hybrid electrode (CeO2@Carbon/SNBT) exhibits the best long-term cyclability and its capacity retention has significantly increased. The current strategy would trigger more investigations into the development of organic materials for commercialized applications.