High-capacity organic electrode material calix[4] quinone/CMK-3 nanocomposite for lithium batteries

Abstract

Organic lithium-ion batteries (OLIBs) represent a new generation of power storage approach for their environmental benignity and high theoretical specific capacities. However, it has the disadvantage with regard to the dissolution of active materials in organic electrolyte. In this study, we encapsulated high capacity material calix[4]quinone (C4Q) in the nanochannels of ordered mesoporous carbon (OMC) CMK-3 with various mass ratios ranging from 1:3 to 3:1, and then systematically investigated their morphology and electrochemical properties. The nanocomposites characterizations confirmed that C4Q is almost entirely capsulated in the nanosized pores of the CMK-3 while the mass ratio is less than 2:1. As cathodes in lithium-ion batteries, the C4Q/CMK-3 (1:2) nanocomposite exhibits optimal initial discharge capacity of 427 mA h g−1 with 58.7% cycling retention after 100 cycles. Meanwhile, the rate performance is also optimized with a capacity of 170.4 mA h g−1 at 1 C. This method paves a new way to apply organic cathodes for lithium-ion batteries.