Synergy of carbonyl and azo chemistries for wide-temperature-range rechargeable aluminum organic batteries

Rechargeable aluminum organic batteries (RAOBs) are promising for developing cost-effective and sustainable energy storage devices due to the low cost, abundance, and high sustainability of aluminum and organic re-sources. Here, we designed and synthesized a redox-active polymer bearing carbonyl and azo groups as a cathode material for RAOBs. The polymeric cathode exhibits a high reversible specific capacity, superior cyclic stability, fast charging capability, and a wide operation temperature range (-40?C to 100?C). X-ray photoelectron spec-troscopy (XPS), pair distribution function (PDF) analysis, and soft X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) were employed to gain fundamental insight into the carbonyl and azo chemistries in RAOBs, as well as the cathode electrolyte interphase (CEI) structure. We demonstrated a step-by-step alumination/de-alumination reaction for carbonyl and azo groups in the polymer cathode and unraveled a Al2O3- and AlN-rich CEI, which is critical for the impressive performance of RAOBs.

Automated summary

Rechargeable aluminum organic batteries (RAOBs) are a promising energy storage device due to the low cost and sustainability of aluminum and organic resources. A redox-active polymer cathode with carbonyl and azo groups was designed and synthesized, showing high capacity, stability, charging capability, and wide temperature range. Fundamental insights into the cathode and electrolyte interface structure were gained through various analysis techniques. The study demonstrates the importance of the alumination/de-alumination reaction and the rich Al2O3- and AlN-based cathode electrolyte interface for the impressive performance of RAOBs.