From Biomass to a Renewable Li_<i>X</i>C₆O₆ Organic Electrode for Sustainable Li‐Ion Batteries

TLDR

Li‑ion batteries currently rely on inorganic insertion compounds, whose abundance and life‑cycle costs raise long‑term sustainability concerns, prompting interest in renewable‑resource electrode designs for greener batteries. The study aims to develop new organic electrode materials to address sustainability concerns of conventional Li‑ion battery electrodes. They synthesize the oxocarbon salt Li₂C₆O₆ via low‑cost, solvent‑free processes using natural organic sources such as CO₂‑harvesting entities. Li₂C₆O₆ features carbonyl redox centers enabling four‑Li‑ion uptake per formula unit, aligning with sustainable and green chemistry principles absent from current Li‑ion technology.

Abstract

Li-ion batteries presently operate on inorganic insertion compounds. The abundance and materials life-cycle costs of such batteries may present issues in the long term with foreseeable large-scale applications. To address the issue of sustainability of electrode materials, a radically different approach from the conventional route has been adopted to develop new organic electrode materials. The oxocarbon salt Li2C6O6 is synthesized through potentially low-cost processes free of toxic solvents and by enlisting the use of natural organic sources (CO2-harvesting entities). It contains carbonyl groups as redox centres and can electrochemically react with four Li ions per formula unit. Such battery processing comes close to both sustainable and green chemistry concepts, which are not currently present in Li-ion cell technology. The consideration of renewable resources in designing electrode materials could potentially enable the realization of green and sustainable batteries within the next decade.