Disodium‐Substituted Tetrahydroxybenzoquinone Salt as an Organic Electrode for High‐Performance Lithium‐Ion Batteries

Organic lithium‐ion batteries (OLIBs) are desirable alternatives for next‐generation energy storage systems in terms of their low‐cost, eco‐friendliness, and structural diversity. However, the intrinsic plagues such as electrical insulation, high dissolution in liquid electrolytes, and low energy densities significantly restrict their widespread applications. Herein, a para‐disodium‐2, 5‐dihydroxy‐1, 4‐tetrahydroxybenzoquinone (p‐DSDHBQ) microcone is prepared through a simple synthetic method using the raw glyoxal (30% C2H2O2, aq) solution. The as‐obtained p‐DSDHBQ microcone demonstrates a high reversible capacity of 253 mA h g−1 at 0.1 C and retains a capacity of 199.9 mA h g−1 after 100 cycles. Moreover, the organic sodium salt exhibits superior rate performance (111 mA h g−1 at 20 C) and long‐term cycling stability (135.5 mA h g−1 at 10 C after 1000 cycles). Morphological observation, electrochemical impedance analysis, and cyclic voltammogram (CV) curves at different rates also provide insight to the advantage of phenolate sodium (ONa) groups. More interestingly, the negligible structural change during discharging/charging can be in charge of an excellent cyclic stability. Therefore, this work might provide a great opportunity to explore organic materials for LIB applications.