The viability of PTCDA as an active cathode material in lithium-ion and sodium-ion batteries

Abstract

Investigating cost-effective and abundant cathode materials is growing increasingly important as we slowly progress into a clean and sustainable energy future. Perylenetetracarboxylic dianhydride (PTCDA), a semiconductor material with a highly conjugated system and four carbonyl groups, still lacks a comprehensive understanding of its potential as an organic cathode material. Here, PTCDA was chosen because a more conjugated system offers greater stability in the reduction-oxidation process. In our study, the viability of PTCDA as an active material in lithium-ion and sodium-ion batteries was investigated. Initial testing with lithium-ion and sodium-ion batteries showed high compatibility between PTCDA and sodium alginate (SA), but with low stability, so a small amount of graphene was introduced into the cathode to improve the cyclic stability. Our study shows that PTCDA is a better active material in sodium-ion batteries than lithium-ion batteries. This is important because of the rising cost of lithium battery production. Our research presents a cost-effective and sustainable alternative to lithium-ion batteries.