Nitrogen‐Containing Polycyclic Quinones as Cathode Materials for Lithium‐ion Batteries with Increased Voltage

• Published in: Energy technology (Weinheim, Germany) Germany), 2014-02, Vol.2 (2), p.155-158
• Main Authors: Shimizu, Akihiro, Tsujii, Yutaka, Kuramoto, Hiroki, Nokami, Toshiki, Inatomi, Yuu, Hojo, Nobuhiko, Yoshida, Jun‐ichi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Batteries; Carbonyl compounds; Carbonyl groups; Carbonyls; Cathodes; Electric potential; electrochemistry; Electrode materials; Electronegativity; Flexibility; Inorganic materials; Lithium; Lithium batteries; Lithium-ion batteries; Nitrogen; Nitrogen atoms; Quinones; Rechargeable batteries; Reduction; Voltage
• ISSN: 2194-4288; 2194-4296
• DOI: 10.1002/ente.201300148

Although organic cathode materials have received significant research interest as cathode materials of lithium‐ion batteries because of sustainability and flexibility, they suffer from lower voltages compared to inorganic materials. To increase the voltage of batteries using organic cathode materials without decreasing the capacity, we studied the effect of the replacement of the CH moieties β to the carbonyl group of quinones with nitrogen atoms. The coordination of N to Li in the reduced forms and the greater electronegativity of N compared to C make reduction energetically more favorable. The lithium batteries based on the nitrogen analogues of quinones as cathode materials exhibited voltages higher than 3.0 V (the first stage). Thinking electronegatively: The replacement of CH with N in p‐ and o‐quinones as cathode materials is effective in increasing the voltage of lithium‐ion batteries without decreasing the capacity. The coordination of N to Li in the reduced forms and the greater electronegativity of N compared to C make reduction energetically more favorable.