Electrochemical Reactivity of Lithium Chloranilate vs Li and Crystal Structures of the Hydrated Phases

Li-ion batteries based on active organic electrode materials may present an alternative route to the current battery technology, particularly in terms of recycling cost. Here, we report preliminary data regarding the electrochemical behavior of Li(2)C(6)O(4)Cl(2) obtained by dehydration of the dilithium chloranilate monohydrate, which is formed by spontaneous dehydration of the Li(2)C(6)O(4)Cl(2)center dot similar to 6H(2)O phase. Electrochemically tested vs Li, the anhydrous chloranilate displays a reversible capacity of 200 mAh g(-1) at an average potential of 2.3 V, which slightly decays upon cycling as opposed to Li(2)C(6)O(4)Cl(2)center dot H(2)O. Moreover, thermal recycling of chloranilate phases leads to the LiCl formation, which is a benign salt.