Organic Hydronium-Ion Battery with Ultralong Life

The nonmetallic charge carrier hydronium (H3O+) possesses the advantages of cost-efficiency and high ionic conductivity. However, only several available electrode materials have been reported for reversibly storing H3O+, and most of them suffer from limited cycle life due to the soluble and/or structurally unstable nature. Herein, we demonstrate that an organic quinone dibenzo[b,i]thianthrene-5,7,12,14tetraone (DTT) exhibits the capability to accommodate H3O+ in an acid electrolyte, with a capacity of 212 mAh gDTT -1 at 0.05 A gDTT -1 and longterm cycling stability. Theoretical calculation results indicate that DTT undergoes a two-electron and subsequent one-electron redox process during reversible storage of H3O+. When coupling with an MnO2 cathode, the constructed MnO2//DTT battery provides long cycling stability over 50000 cycles at 2 A gDTT -1 with a capacity retention of 72%. Furthermore, the battery can operate well and shows cycle stability even at -70 degrees C, implying promising prospective capability in low temperature environments.

Automated summary

This study demonstrates the capability of an organic quinone compound, dibenzo[b,i]thianthrene-5,7,12,14-tetraone (DTT), to store H3O+ in an acid electrolyte with high capacity and long-term cycling stability. The DTT-based battery shows promising stability and performance, even at low temperatures.