In recent years, due to their structural diversity, adjustability, versatility, and excellent electrochemical properties, organic compounds with nitrogen‐containing groups (OCNs) have become some of the most promising organic electrode materials. The nitrogen‐containing groups acting as electrochemical active sites include carbon–nitrogen groups, nitrogen–nitrogen groups, nitrogen–oxygen groups in OCNs, and nitrogen‐containing groups in covalent organic frameworks. The molecular structure regulation of OCNs with nitrogen‐containing groups acting as electrochemical active centers can suppress dissolution in electrolytes, increase electronic conductivity, and improve the kinetics of redox reactions. The kinetics behavior and electrochemical characteristics of OCN electrode materials in alkali metal rechargeable batteries with organic electrolytes are reviewed, and the related relationships between the structure and electrochemical properties of OCNs are the core of this review. Herein, the electrochemical reaction mechanisms and the strategies to improve the electrochemical activity of nitrogen‐containing groups in OCNs are clarified, and the conjugate molecular structure of OCNs is shown to be an important direction for improvement. These results will have implications for research on electrode materials and provide more choices for rechargeable batteries. Moreover, this work will guide the study of more efficient OCNs that can be used as electrode materials.

DAAP@C with stable amide bond (–CO–NH–) between carbon fibers and DAAP molecules has excellent electronic conductivity, insolubility and electrochemical performance. The fatal problems of small molecule carbonyl compounds were solved.

Organic electrode materials are progressively becoming a research hotspot for energy storage materials due to their renewable and environmentally friendly features. Inspired by the energy transduction mechanism of flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) on the inner mitochondrial membrane of living organisms, the lithium storage electrochemical behavior of riboflavin (RF, vitamin B2) in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) has been explored. The students are encouraged to find inspiration from organisms to design energy storage materials. This course is used to teach the principles of energy storage devices and the electrochemical mechanism of organic small molecules for upper-division undergraduates. This novel theory and experiment module is suitable for students with a foundation of computational chemistry, physical chemistry, and modern testing technology. The redox reaction mechanism of RF with multiple active sites is clarified through density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The LIBs assembled by the students are evaluated by using a battery testing system with electrochemical methods. The relative potentials calculated by DFT for the stepwise lithiation reactions are consistent with the reduction peak potential of the cyclic voltammetry and the plateau potential of the discharge curve, which demonstrates the rationality of the proposed electrochemical reaction mechanism. These findings confirm the expectation of using bioinspired redox-active moieties for LIBs and the development of organic electrode materials. The course can increase students’ interest in the field of organic active materials and renewable energy.

The polymerization of small molecules as electrode materials in lithium-ion batteries not only reduces the solubility but also improves the surface structure and electrical conductivity. The law governing the correlations between the solvothermal temperature of polyimide (PQI) and its surface morphology and structure and electrochemical properties is investigated. The 1st and 200th discharge capacity densities for PQI-180 with fine electrochemical performance at 100 mA g À 1 are 246.6 and 178.5 mAh g À 1 , respectively. The rich pore structure of PQI-180 is conducive to accelerating ion migration and reducing diffusion impedance. In addition, PQI-180 with a uniform threedimensional mesh structure makes sufficient contact with the conductive agent, reducing the electron contact resistance. Unlike previously reported 3-or 4-electron reactions, PQI used as an electrode material shows a 5-electron reaction and a theoretical capacity of 319 mAh g À 1 at voltages ranging from 1.5-3.0 V, and theoretical calculations and experiments explain that this result is due to a new electrochemical reaction mechanism.