2024 AIChE Annual Meeting
Rechargeable Aluminum-Organic Batteries with Sulfonamide-Based Electrodes
Abstract
As the demand for electric-powered technologies increase, energy-dense batteries composed of earth abundant, sustainable, and safe materials must be developed to ensure resource availability on a global scale. Aluminum-organic batteries combine earth abundant and energy dense aluminum (Al) metal with renewable, tunable, and sustainable organic materials to provide an environmentally friendly energy storage device. However, to date, Al-organic batteries exhibit low operating voltages (typically, <1.5 V vs. Al/ Al(III)) and significant capacity fade during galvanostatic cycling, decreasing energy density and cycle life.1
In this study, we design and synthesize a derivative of a previously reported conjugated sulfonamide2 that was used as a high-voltage (>3.0 V vs. Li/Li+) cathode material in lithium-organic batteries. The new organic material, oxidized ortho-Phenylene do methane-sulfonamide (oxy-OPDSA) was then used as a cathode material in a rechargeable Al-organic battery. The electrolyte was a Lewis acidic mixture of aluminum chloride (AlCl3) and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (EMImCl). Al-oxy-OPDSA cells achieved a median voltage of ca. 1.9 V vs. Al/Al(III), the highest yet reported in an Al-organic battery, with specific capacities of 180 mAh/g. The absence of labile protons that would otherwise incur deleterious side reactions and impede efficient binding of the electroactive caiton contributes to cycling stabiltity. The effects of mass loading of oxy-OPDSA on specific capacity were also investigated. This research demonstrates that organic structures can continue to be tuned at a molecular level to enable higher potentials and cycling stability in multivalent battery chemistries, thereby paving the way for more efficient and environmentally friendly energy storage technologies.
References.
(1) Kim, D. J.; Yoo, D.-J.; Otley, M. T.; Prokofjevs, A.; Pezzato, C.; Owczarek, M.; Lee, S. J.; Choi, J. W.; Stoddart, J. F. Rechargeable Aluminium Organic Batteries. Nat. Energy 2019, 4 (1), 51–59. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-018-0291-0.
(2) Wang, J.; Lakraychi, A. E.; Liu, X.; Sieuw, L.; Morari, C.; Poizot, P.; Vlad, A. Conjugated Sulfonamides as a Class of Organic Lithium-Ion Positive Electrodes. Nat. Mater. 2021, 20 (5), 665–673. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-020-00869-1.
As the demand for electric-powered technologies increase, energy-dense batteries composed of earth abundant, sustainable, and safe materials must be developed to ensure resource availability on a global scale. Aluminum-organic batteries combine earth abundant and energy dense aluminum (Al) metal with renewable, tunable, and sustainable organic materials to provide an environmentally friendly energy storage device. However, to date, Al-organic batteries exhibit low operating voltages (typically, <1.5 V vs. Al/ Al(III)) and significant capacity fade during galvanostatic cycling, decreasing energy density and cycle life.1
In this study, we design and synthesize a derivative of a previously reported conjugated sulfonamide2 that was used as a high-voltage (>3.0 V vs. Li/Li+) cathode material in lithium-organic batteries. The new organic material, oxidized ortho-Phenylene do methane-sulfonamide (oxy-OPDSA) was then used as a cathode material in a rechargeable Al-organic battery. The electrolyte was a Lewis acidic mixture of aluminum chloride (AlCl3) and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (EMImCl). Al-oxy-OPDSA cells achieved a median voltage of ca. 1.9 V vs. Al/Al(III), the highest yet reported in an Al-organic battery, with specific capacities of 180 mAh/g. The absence of labile protons that would otherwise incur deleterious side reactions and impede efficient binding of the electroactive caiton contributes to cycling stabiltity. The effects of mass loading of oxy-OPDSA on specific capacity were also investigated. This research demonstrates that organic structures can continue to be tuned at a molecular level to enable higher potentials and cycling stability in multivalent battery chemistries, thereby paving the way for more efficient and environmentally friendly energy storage technologies.
References.
(1) Kim, D. J.; Yoo, D.-J.; Otley, M. T.; Prokofjevs, A.; Pezzato, C.; Owczarek, M.; Lee, S. J.; Choi, J. W.; Stoddart, J. F. Rechargeable Aluminium Organic Batteries. Nat. Energy 2019, 4 (1), 51–59. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-018-0291-0.
(2) Wang, J.; Lakraychi, A. E.; Liu, X.; Sieuw, L.; Morari, C.; Poizot, P.; Vlad, A. Conjugated Sulfonamides as a Class of Organic Lithium-Ion Positive Electrodes. Nat. Mater. 2021, 20 (5), 665–673. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-020-00869-1.