Charge Storage Mechanism of a Quinone Polymer Electrode for Zinc-ion Batteries

The capability for a cathode material to store zinc ions is critical for the viability of an aqueous zinc-ion battery. This work investigates the charge storage mechanism of a quinone polymer via a combination of electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring and in situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Non-hydrated zinc ions are found to be the cation species associated with the quinone-related redox reaction, while the counter anions also participate the reaction probably due to the unique p-dopable linker present in the polymer.