A Nitro-Rich Small-Molecule-Based Organic Cathode Material for Effective Rechargeable Lithium Batteries
Yongqiang Shi, Yilin Lin, Fangyuan Kang, Naoki Aratani, Weiwei Huang, Qichun Zhang
Abstract
Organic cathode materials have attracted extensive research interest for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) because of their diverse structures and tunable properties. However, the preparation of organic cathode materials with high capacities, long cycling life, and high energy densities still remains a big challenge. To address these issues, we designed and synthesized a novel multinitro-decorated organic small molecule, N4,N4′′-bis(2,4-dinitrophenyl)-5′-(4-((2,4-dinitrophenyl)amino)phenyl)-[1,1′:3′,1′′-terphenyl]-4,4′′-diamine (TAPB-6NO2), where the unique electronic character of nitro group should enable TAPB-6NO2 to be a promising cathode candidate for LIBs. We found that the introduction of multiple nitro groups could efficiently reduce the solubility of TAPB-6NO2 in organic electrolytes, resulting in a high specific capacity of around 180 mAh g–1 and stable cycling with a capacity retention of 91% after 1100 cycles at 1000 mA g–1. This work suggests that attaching multiple nitro groups on a small molecule is an effective approach to construct high-performance organic cathode materials for stable and sustainable rechargeable LIBs.