Bioderived Molecular Electrodes for Next‐Generation Energy‐Storage Materials

Abstract

Nature‐derived organic small molecules, as energy‐storage materials, provide low‐cost, recyclable, and non‐toxic alternatives to inorganic and polymer electrodes for lithium‐/sodium‐ion batteries and beyond. Some organic carbonyl compounds have met or exceeded the voltages and gravimetric storage capacities achieved by traditional transition metal oxide‐based compounds due to the metal‐ion coupled redox and facile electron‐transport capability of functional groups. Stability issues that previously limited the capacity of small organic molecules can be remediated with reactions to form insoluble salts, noncovalent interactions (hydrogen bonding and π stacking), loading onto substrates, and careful electrolyte selection. The cost‐effectiveness and sustainability of organic materials may further be improved by employing porphyrin‐based electrodes and multivalent‐ion batteries utilizing abundant metals, such as aluminum and zinc. Finally, redox flow batteries take advantage of the solubility of organics for the development of scalable, high power density, and safe energy‐storage devices based on aqueous electrolytes. Herein, the advantages and prospects of small molecule‐based electrodes, with a focus on nature‐derived organic and biomimetic materials, to realize the next‐generation of green battery chemistry are reviewed.

Electrode Materials for Supercapacitors: A Review of Recent Advances

“…Therefore, as it has been reported in different studies [476,487] that carbonaceous materials could be used as a backbone, in the composite material along with redox-active materials such as MOs and CPs, or could be integrated with novel 2D materials such as MXene [489,490] to fabricate the appropriate flexible film as the electrode material for flexible/transparent SCs. Furthermore, incorporating the redox-active small molecules and bioderived functional groups into the pseudocapacitive material, as well as their utilization to increase the capacitance of the carbon-based material, have been provided more efficient, lower cost, non-toxic electrodes for SC application through eco-friendly synthesis [491,492].…”

Designing Structural Electrochemical Energy Storage Systems: A Perspective on the Role of Device Chemistry

“…The fabrication of batteries with inorganic cathodes is costly and environmentally damaging, from the extraction of the transition metals in ores with low metal content ( Mauger et al, 2019 ), to the preparation of the active materials. Organic electroactive components can be used in both pseudocapacitors and organic batteries (small molecule or polymer) ( Muench et al, 2016 ; Chen et al, 2020 ; John et al, 2020 ) and may offer environmental benefits both in production and recycling. In principle, these organic electrodes are composed of naturally abundant elements and they are less environmentally challenging compared to metal-based batteries.…”

Design strategies for organic carbonyl materials for energy storage: Small molecules, oligomers, polymers and supramolecular structures

“…The use of nature‐derived molecules as electrode materials is a smart approach for moving towards green synthetic methods 36 . The use of organics grants potential access to low cost and greener chemistry because they are composed of naturally abundant elements such as C, H, O, N and S. However, many organic synthetic routes to prepare target materials often require harsh reaction condition or toxic substances, which opposes the purpose of being “green.” In this section, we have selected a few recent examples of organic electrodes that are either directly or indirectly derived from biomass or bio‐inspired molecules through non‐harsh synthetic procedures.…”