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Chemically Self-Charging Aqueous Zinc-Organic Battery
Lei Yan1, Yu Zhang1, Zhigang Ni2
1Department of Chemistry and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Catalysis and Innovative Materials, Institute of New Energy, iChEM (Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials), Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China.
Journal of the American Chemical Society
|September 7, 2021
Summary
This study introduces a novel Zn-organic battery with a poly(1,5-naphthalenediamine) cathode. This battery demonstrates remarkable self-rechargeability and achieves a record energy density of 625.5 Wh kg-1.
Area of Science:
- Electrochemistry
- Materials Science
- Energy Storage
Background:
- Zinc-organic batteries offer promise but are limited by low energy density due to cathode capacity and potential.
- Current organic cathodes in Zn-based systems struggle to meet high-performance demands.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a high-rate, long-life Zn-organic battery with enhanced energy density.
- To investigate the self-charging mechanism in aqueous Zn-organic systems.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of a Zn-organic battery using a poly(1,5-naphthalenediamine) cathode and Zn anode in an alkaline electrolyte.
- Analysis of the cathode reaction mechanism involving K+ coordination and C═N/C-N-K conversion.
- Investigation of the self-rechargeability phenomenon facilitated by oxygen and theoretical calculations of bond breaking.
Main Results:
- The proposed battery operates via a coordination reaction between K+ and the C═N group.
- The discharged battery exhibits rapid recovery in the presence of oxygen, attributed to O2-mediated K-N bond cleavage.
- An accumulated capacity of 16264 mAh g-1 was achieved for the organic cathode, leading to a record energy density of 625.5 Wh kg-1.
Conclusions:
- A chemically self-charging aqueous Zn-organic battery has been successfully designed.
- The self-rechargeability significantly boosts the cathode's accumulated capacity and the overall energy density.
- This work paves the way for high-performance, sustainable energy storage solutions using Zn-organic systems.
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