Nanorod-Like Organic Active Materials Directly Grown on the Carbon Cloth for Aqueous Zn-Ion Batteries

Organic active materials are regarded as a promising candidate to replace inorganic counterparts owing to their tunable redox activity, mild synthesis condition, and multi-electron reactions. However, these organic materials are limited by their dissolution in the aqueous electrolyte and low electrical conductivity. Herein, we synthesized self-assembled nanorods of perylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxylic dianhydride (NRPTCDA) grown on carbon cloth for high-performance Zn-ion storage. The vertical orientation and length of nanorods were controlled through optimizing the synthesis condition, which can facilitate Zn-ion insertion–deinsertion. For an aqueous Zn-ion battery, the NRPTCDA cathode achieved a high capacity of 127.5 mAh g–1 at a current density of 1 A g–1, which retained 82.10 mAh g–1 even at a high current rate of 50 A g–1. Additionally, structure-controlled NRPTCDA exhibited 90.1% of rate capability at 100 mV s–1 and 78.91% capacity retention over 10 000 galvanostatic charge–discharge cycles at 10 A g–1 of current density. Additionally, ex situ X-ray diffraction, attenuated total reflectance–Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and field emission scanning electron microscopy measurements were performed and confirmed structural, chemical, and morphological stability and reversibility of NRPTCDA electrodes for Zn2+ ion storage.