Battery (electricity)

Quantum mechanics

Engineering

Dimethoxyethane

Prussian blue

Electrochemistry

Materials science

Cathode

Power (physics)

Molecule

Inorganic chemistry

Chemical engineering

Zinc

Physical chemistry

Physics

Organic chemistry

Quinone

Aqueous solution

Chemistry

Electrode

Anode

Electrolyte

Organic radical battery

Nature Communications

Rechargeable aqueous zinc-organic batteries are promising energy storage systems with low-cost aqueous electrolyte and zinc metal anode. The electrochemical properties can be systematically adjusted with molecular design on organic cathode materials. Herein, we use a symmetric small molecule quinone cathode, tetraamino-p-benzoquinone (TABQ), with desirable functional groups to protonate and accomplish dominated proton insertion from weakly acidic zinc electrolyte. The hydrogen bonding network formed with carbonyl and amino groups on the TABQ molecules allows facile proton conduction through the Grotthuss-type mechanism. It guarantees activation energies below 300 meV for charge transfer and proton diffusion. The TABQ cathode delivers a high capacity of 303 mAh g −1 at 0.1 A g −1 in a zinc-organic battery. With the increase of current density to 5 A g −1 , 213 mAh g −1 capacity is still preserved with stable cycling for 1000 times. Our work proposes an effective approach towards high performance organic electrode materials.

A high capacity small molecule quinone cathode for rechargeable aqueous zinc-organic batteries