Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 9, 2025

Synthesis and Purification of Iodoaziridines Involving Quantitative Selection of the Optimal Stationary Phase for Chromatography
Published on: May 16, 2014
Azopyridine Aqueous Electrochemistry Enables Superior Organic AZIBs
Yihui Xie1, Ming Li1, Yijian Ma1
1School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310000, P. R. China.
Abstract:
Azo compounds (AZO), such as azobenzene, are classic organic electrode materials featuring a redox potential close to Zn/Zn2+. Recent studies show that azobenzene could work as a cathode in aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs), providing a voltage output of around 0.7 V. However, the energy storage mechanism of AZO cathodes in AZIBs remains unclear, and their practical usage in AZIBs is hindered by the low voltage. In this study, azopyridine isomers, the hydrophilic analogues of azobenzene, were adopted as cathodes for AZIBs, and the energy storage mechanism was unveiled through aqueous electrochemical studies. Through in situ electrochemical characterizations and theoretical computations, we reveal that both the electron-withdrawing effect of the pyridyl group and the H+-involved -N = N-/-NH-NH- redox reaction uplift the redox potential of the azopyridine cathodes. These findings led to the first AZO-based AZIB, providing a voltage output of 1.4 V. The proposed air-stable AZIBs deliver a high energy/power density and a capacity of around 200 mAh g-1. This work discovers different azopyridine electrochemistry in aqueous and organic electrolytes and enabling AZIBs to outperform its competitors from the AZO family.
Related Concept Videos
Preparation of 1° Amines: Azide Synthesis
Azide ions act as good nucleophiles and react with unhindered alkyl halides to form alkyl azides. Alkyl azides do not participate in further nucleophilic substitution reactions, thereby eliminating the chances of polyalkylated products. Alkyl azides are reduced by hydride-based reducing agents, like lithium aluminum...
Aryldiazonium Salts to Azo Dyes: Diazo Coupling
Basicity of Heterocyclic Aromatic Amines
Nucleophilic Aromatic Substitution of Aryldiazonium Salts: Aromatic SN1
In the Sandmeyer reaction, for example, the diazonio group is replaced by a chloro, bromo,...
Electrophilic Aromatic Substitution: Fluorination and Iodination of Benzene
Diazonium Group Substitution with Halogens and Cyanide: Sandmeyer and Schiemann Reactions

