Current lithium ion battery technologies suffer from challenges derived from the eco-toxicity, cost, and energetic inefficiency of contemporary inorganic materials used in these devices. Small organic molecules containing polycyclic aromatic moieties and polar functional groups have recently been presented as attractive electron donors that bind lithium and other small metal ions. Here we report reversible lithium ion storage properties of naturally occurring and abundant organic compounds purpurin (madder root extract) and lawsone (henna leaf extract), which are non-toxic and are plant/crop based products. The carbonyl/hydroxyl groups present in these molecules act as redox centers and reacts electrochemically with Li-ions during the charge/discharge process. The mechanism of lithiation of purpurin and lawsone are fully elucidated using NMR, UV, and FTIR spectral studies. The molecular level electrochemical performance of the battery components were monitored by in situ Atomic Force Microscopy based Scanning Electrochemical Probe (AFM-SECM) coupled with Raman Spectroscopy Technique. One such example is lawsone-derived electrodes displayed a specific capacity of up to 130 mAh/g at 20 mA/g currents, and voltage plateaus at 2.1–2.5 V, which are comparable to modern Li-ion battery cathodes. In addition to the functional utility of these materials, they will be inherently designed to be safe, economic, and environmentally benign. Being constructed from plant derived chemicals to afford smart, throw away batteries to meet the demands of a greener future. <br/>

Natural dye based organic lithium ion battery electrodes: Lithium storage mechanistic studies

256th National Meeting (2018)

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