Synthesis and Characterization of Organic Materials for Aqueous Lithium-Ion Batteries

The world has never stopped seeking more sustainable and cost-effective lithium- ion batteries due to the increasing energy demand in the near future. Aqueous rechargeable lithium batteries (ARLBs) may become a viable candidate due to its excellent safety and reliability. Developing electroactive organic electrode materials for batteries have attracted more and more interests as green and low-cost materials. Among all these materials, polyimide materials with high mechanical strength and excellent thermal stability are particularly promising. In this Master’s research study, I have synthesized four imide-based materials and tested them in aqueous electrolyte as anode electrode materials. One of the four materials, N,N’-Bis(ethyl)-1,4,5,8-naphthalenetetracarboxylic diimide (NDIE), achieves a specific capacity of 121.3 mAh/g and a 57.7% capacity retention after 20 cycles. After the cell optimization, the capacity increased to 158.5 mAh/g and retention increased to 90%, respectively. The corresponding polymer, PNDIE, could achieve a specific capacity of 172.3 mAh/g and a 91.9% retention after 50 cycles. The excellent stability and high coulombic efficiency of PNDIE make it a promising anode electrode material candidate for ALIBs.