Expanding the utility of DDQ: Preparation of promising cathode material for potassium batteries through a simple pyrolysis process

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Herein, we address the problem of complicated synthesis and high cost of organic cathode materials for metal-ion batteries by utilizing the strategy of pyrolytic conversion of simple organic precursor molecules to redox-active polymers. As such, a well-known organic oxidation reagent DDQ was converted to the poly-DDQ, which demonstrated promising electrochemical characteristics as cathode in potassium cells: specific capacity reached 140-175mAhg−1 even at high current density, which is comparable to the emerging inorganic cathodes for potassium-ion batteries. Furthermore, the potassium cells with poly-DDQ cathodes demonstrated excellent cyclability due to the robust structure of the material prepared by high-temperature synthesis. The proposed approach to the scalable and low-cost synthesis of electrode materials by pyrolysis of readily available precursors appears to be highly promising in the context of practical applications, particularly for the stationary energy storage, where the cost of the battery and its cycle lifetime represent the most important parameters.