Traditional lithium-ion batteries strongly depend on non-renewable transition metals. With the surge of electric vehicles, the source and environmental impacts of metal-based electrode materials have become a major concern. It is crucial to develop metal-free energy storage systems that can (1) cut the ties of energy storage to finite metal resources and (2) offer fast charging capability to support demanding energy applications. In the past decade, rechargeable batteries containing organic-based electrode materials (OEMs) have emerged as an attractive alternative to transition-metal oxide cathodes, as many low-molecular-weight organic molecules have high theoretical capacities and can be synthesized from abundant materials. Unfortunately, OEMs often suffer from low conductivity and dissolution into electrolyte, adversely affecting their charging rates and cycle stability and ultimately limiting their development in next-generation energy storage devices. To address these crucial issues, we are interested in designing organic materials with moieties that (1) decrease the solubility of neutral and reduced organic species and (2) establish an efficient charge delocalization network within the cathode material. We propose that electronic interactions between charge-storage units may provide a solution to these challenges. We found that S-rich thiazyl moieties engender strong intermolecular interactions that contribute to the insolubility and fast charging of low-molecular-weight quinones. This is demonstrated by the contrasting performance of three isomorphic bisthiazolyl quinones in solid-state: the quinone with the strongest intermolecular interactions can be cycled at a high rate of 10C for 400 cycles with 94% capacity retention, while those with weak intermolecular interactions suffer from dissolution and low cycling stabilities (&lt; 20 cycles).

Small molecule organic electrode materials for energy storage

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

[Author Benefits](https://scimeetings.acs.org/?utm_source=pubs_content_marketing&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=0320_MCF_NPI_Launch_Spring_Homepage&ref=pubs_content_marketing)

[How to use SciMeetings](https://storage.googleapis.com/dl.morressier.com/acs/SciMeetings-ACSSpring2020-HowToGuide_M3020-Final.pdf)

[Frequently Asked Questions](https://storage.googleapis.com/dl.morressier.com/acs/SciMtng_ACSNMSp2020_FAQ_M3120_Final.pdf)

ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.