Nanoporous and redox-active hoops and macrocycles as organic electrode materials for batteries

Introduction

Next-generation energy storage solutions are needed to satisfy the increasing demand for electrically powered devices. Organic electrode materials (OEMs) are promising candidates, constituted of widely available elements, accessible in processes with low CO2 footprint and easily recycled. However, existing OEMs suffer from a lack of porosity, which inhibits counter ion diffusion to the electroactive sites or renders redox processes irreversible, severely limiting their performance.

Project Overview

NanOBatt explores a fundamentally new concept for OEMs in order to significantly improve their intrinsic porosity and provide pathways for efficient counter ion diffusion. In NanOBatt, I and my team will investigate redox-active conjugated nanohoops and macrocycles with intrinsic porosity as OEMs in next-generation batteries.

Properties of Redox-Active Materials

• Redox-active groups can be installed with the desired properties.
• Their extended conjugation and aromaticity stabilize charges.
• Their rigid 3D shapes and nanometer-sized cavities lead to nanoporous structures, ideally suited to enable fast counter ion diffusion.

In spite of these outstanding properties, conjugated nanohoops have not been explored as OEMs, and even macrocycles have received only little attention as such.

Research Aims

The aims of NanOBatt are to:

1. Develop synthetic strategies and design guidelines for redox-active conjugated nanohoops and macrocycles as OEMs.
2. Elucidate the role of conjugation and porosity on charge stabilization and ion diffusion in their charge/discharge processes.
3. Investigate their application as OEMs in alternative battery cell configurations, namely Na, Al, Mg, and all-organic batteries.

Significance of the Project

NanOBatt uniquely bridges the gap between fundamental research on organic materials and their application in next-generation charge storage devices. With NanOBatt, I will initiate a new research field with ground-breaking impact, both in the scientific community as well as for the future direction of my own research.