In Situ Electrochemical Synthesis of Novel Lithium-Rich Organic Cathodes for All-Organic Li-Ion Full Batteries

The lithium-rich organic cathodes are undoubtedly important for fabricating lithium-ion (Li-ion) full batteries. Currently, very few lithium-rich organic cathodes have been reported for their O₂-sensitive characteristics. In this article, we initially propose a new electrochemical method to in situ synthesize a novel lithium-rich organic cathode, namely lithium anthracene-9,10-bis[2-benzene-1,4-bis(olate)] (ABB4OLi, C_T = 256 mA h g^-1), from its phenol precursor of anthracene-9,10-bis(2-benzene-1,4-diol). The addition of anthracene moiety as the linking bridge is to increase the molecular weight and simultaneously enhance the electronic conductivity for the designed organic molecule (ABB4OLi). In Li-ion half cells, ABB4OLi could deliver average specific capacities of 194 mA h g^-1 during 250 cycles (50 mA g^-1) and 100 mA h g^-1 during 400 cycles (2 A g^-1). In the all-organic Li-ion full cells with the working voltage above 1 V, the ABB4OLi electrode could realize the average capacities of 70 mA h g^-1_cathode during 200 cycles (50 mA g^-1). This work has forwarded a significant step for the development of organic Li-ion full batteries.