Small-molecule organic compounds have emerged as attractive candidates for energy storage due to the high abundance of main group elements and synthetic modularity. However, low-molecular-weight organic compounds still lack the cycling stability and high-rate capability found in traditional transition metal-based electrode materials. To provide strategies for addressing these issues in the early stages of materials research, we aim to understand how structural modifications at the atomic scale affect electrode performance. Our previous findings reveal useful design trends for organic electrode materials (OEMs) in lithium-ion batteries, which can be used to facilitate the design of next-generation OEMs. By applying the same principles toward grid-scale energy storage applications, we converted the cheap industrial additive 2,5-dimercapto-1,3,4-thiadiazole into a low-cost OEM for aqueous Zn-ion batteries. Our work provides a fundamental understanding of how strategic structural modifications can be used to achieve desired performance benchmarks.

Redox-active zinc thiolates for low-cost rechargeable aqueous Zn-ion batteries

ACS Spring 2022

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