Heteroaromatic organic compound with conjugated multi-carbonyl as cathode material for rechargeable lithium batteries

The heteroaromatic organic compound, N,N'-diphenyl-1,4,5,8-naphthalenetetra-carboxylic diimide (DP-NTCDI-250) as the cathode material of lithium batteries is prepared through a simple one-pot N-acylation reaction of 1,4,5,8-naphthalenetetra-carboxylic dianhydride (NTCDA) with phenylamine (PA) in DMF solution followed by heat treatment in 250 degrees C. The as prepared sample is characterized by the combination of elemental analysis, NMR, FT-IR, TGA, XRD, SEM and TEM. The electrochemical measurements show that DP-NTCDI-250 can deliver an initial discharge capacity of 170 mAh g(-1) at the current density of 25 mA g(-1). The capacity of 119 mAh g(-1) can be retained after 100 cycles. Even at the high current density of 500 mA g(-1), its capacity still reaches 105 mAh g(-1), indicating its high rate capability. Therefore, the as-prepared DP-NTCDI-250 could be a promising candidate as low cost cathode materials for lithium batteries.