Lithiated indole derivative in reduced graphene oxide framework as efficient electrode for lithium-ion battery

Abstract

The traditional wet-chemical approach was used to synthesise N,N′-bis-Ind[−1H-indol-3-ylmethylidene]benzene-1,2-diamine (N,N′-bis-IBD), which was then lithiated using ball milling. The physical and spectrochemical characteristics of the as-prepared materials in lithiated and unlithiated forms were found to be considerably different. The activity of the lithiated N,N′-bis-IBD electrode material towards battery application was investigated using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and galvanostatic charge potential limit (GCPL) studies. The electrochemical studies on this electrode material revealed the active strong redox characteristics and anodic behaviour in aqueous electrolyte. At 100 cycles in aqueous medium, the lithiated moiety exhibited an impressive battery performance with a discharge capacity of 277 mAhg−1. Interestingly, addition of 20 wt % reduced graphene oxide (rGO) to lithiated N,N′-bis-IBD sample greatly improved the battery performance showing a high discharge capacity of 766 mAhg−1 after 100 cycles. The improved electrochemical performance implicates rGO-mixed lithiated indole-based composite as an effective anode material for lithium-ion battery (LIBs) application.