Advances in lithium battery technologies necessitate improved energy densities, long cycle lives, fast charging, safe operation, and environmentally friendly components. This study concerns lithium-organic batteries comprising bioinspired poly(4-vinyl catechol) (P4VC) cathode materials and single-ion conducting polymer nanoparticle electrolytes. The controlled synthesis of P4VC results in a two-step redox reaction with voltage plateaus at around 3.1 and 3.5 V, as well as a high initial specific capacity of 352 mAh g-1 . The use of single-ion nanoparticle electrolytes enables high electrochemical stabilities up to 5.5 V, a high lithium transference number of 0.99, high ionic conductivities, ranging from 0.2×10-3 to 10-3 S cm-1 , and stable storage moduli of >10 MPa at 25-90 °C. Lithium cells can deliver 165 mAh g-1 at 39.7 mA g-1 for 100 cycles and stable specific capacities of >100 mAh g-1 at a high current density of 794 mA g-1 for 500 cycles. As the first successful demonstration of solid-state single-ion polymer electrolytes in environmentally benign and cost-effective lithium-organic batteries, this work establishes a future research avenue for advancing lithium battery technologies.
Keywords: batteries; electrochemistry; lithium; nanoparticles; polymer electrolytes.
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