In Situ Growth and Wrapping of Aminoanthraquinone Nanowires in 3 D Graphene Framework as Foldable Organic Cathode for Lithium-Ion Batteries.

Abstract

Small conjugated carbonyl compounds are intriguing candidates for organic electrode materials because of their abundance, high theoretical capacity, and adjustable molecular structure. However, their dissolution in aprotic electrolytes and poor conductivity eclipse them in terms of practical capacity, cycle life, and rate capability. Herein, we report a foldable and binder-free nanocomposite electrode consisting of 2-aminoanthraquinone (AAQ) nanowires wrapped within the 3 D graphene framework, which is prepared through antisolvent crystallization followed by a facile chemical reduction and selfassembly process. The nanocomposite exhibited a very high capacity of 265 mA h g-1 at 0.1 C for AAQ, realizing 100 % utilization of active material. Furthermore, the nanocomposite shows superior cycling stability (82 % capacity retention after 200 cycles at 0.2 C and 76 % capacity retention after 1000 cycles at 0.4 C) and excellent rate performance (153 mA h g-1 at 5 C). Particularly, the nanocomposite can deliver the highest capacity of 165 mA h g-1 among all reported anthraquinone- and anthraquinone-analogues-based electrodes per mass of the whole electrode, which is essential for practical application. Such outstanding electrochemical performance could be largely attributed to the wrapping structure of the flexible composite, which provides both conductivity and structural integrity.