In situ Investigations of a Proton Trap Material: A PEDOT-Based Copolymer with Hydroquinone and Pyridine Side Groups Having Robust Cyclability in Organic Electrolytes and Ionic Liquids

A conducting redox polymer based on PEDOT with hydroquinone and pyridine pendant groups is reported and characterized as a proton trap material. The proton trap functionality, where protons are transferred from the hydroquinone to the pyridine sites, allows for utilization of the inherently high redox potential of the hydroquinone pendant group (3.3 V versus Li0/+) and sustains this reaction by trapping the protons within the polymer, resulting in proton cycling in an aprotic electrolyte. By disconnecting the cycling ion of the anode from the cathode, the choice of anode and electrolyte can be extensively varied and the proton trap copolymer can be used as cathode material for all-organic or metal-organic batteries. In this study, a stable and nonvolatile ionic liquid was introduced as electrolyte media, leading to enhanced cycling stability of the proton trap compared to cycling in acetonitrile, which is attributed to the decreased basicity of the solvent. Various in situ methods allowed for in-depth characterization of the polymer’s properties based on its electronic transitions (UV–vis), temperature-dependent conductivity (bipotentiostatic CV-measurements), and mass change (EQCM) during the redox cycle. Furthermore, FTIR combined with quantum chemical calculations indicate that hydrogen bonding interactions are present for all the hydroquinone and quinone states, explaining the reversible behavior of the copolymer in aprotic electrolytes, both in three-electrode setup and in battery devices. These results demonstrate the proton trap concept as an interesting strategy for high potential organic energy storage materials.