Hydrogen-bonded Complex-based Frameworks for Stable Lithium Storage

Metal-complex-based materials for lithium storage have attracted great interest due to their highly designable structures with multiple active sites and well-defined lithium transport pathways. Their cycling and rate performances, however, are still constrained by structural stability and electrical conductivity. Herein, we present two hydrogen-bonded complex-based frameworks with excellent lithium storage capability. Multiple hydrogen bonds among the mononuclear molecules result in three-dimensional frameworks that are stable in electrolyte. The origin of the remarkable lithium storage performance of this family was revealed through kinetic analysis and DFT calculations.

Automated summary

Metal-complex-based materials with multiple active sites and well-defined lithium transport pathways have attracted great interest. However, their cycling and rate performances are still limited by structural stability and electrical conductivity. This study presents two hydrogen-bonded complex-based frameworks with excellent lithium storage capability. The remarkable lithium storage performance of these materials was attributed to the stable three-dimensional frameworks formed through multiple hydrogen bonds among mononuclear molecules, as revealed by kinetic analysis and DFT calculations.