Chemical Design of Redox-Bipolar Covalent Organic Frameworks as High Energy Density Cathodes for Li-ion Batteries

The development of sustainable rechargeable batteries with high energy density is one of the main current challenges to efficiently store energy from renewable sources. Among them, lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are the most promising due to their superior performance.

While conventional inorganic LIBs present limited energy density and problems associated with the availability of critical raw materials, electroactive organic materials are an attractive alternative due to their tunable electrochemical properties and resource availability.

In particular, Covalent Organic Frameworks (COFs) have emerged as promising electrode materials, but in order to extend their applicability, their energy density requires to be increased.

In general, n-type based COFs can lead to high specific capacities while p-type based COFs exhibit higher working potentials (>3 V vs Li/Li+). Thus, new design strategies to increase simultaneously the capacity and voltage are required.

This project (BipoCOFs) aims to develop high energy density cathodes based on the construction of two-dimensional (2D) redox-bipolar COFs by combining n-type and p-type moieties within the same COF.

In addition, the bipolar COFs will be exfoliated to improve ion diffusion and conductivity of the electrodes will be optimized in order to maximize the electrochemical performance.

This project will implement a complex training in synthesis and exfoliation of redox-bipolar COFs in the host group combined with fabrication of COF-based buckypaper electrodes during the secondment to address the ambitious scientific objectives.

BipoCOFs will merge the fields of organic batteries and COFs, encompassing synthetic organic chemistry, polymer chemistry, and materials science.

The achieved results will lay the foundations for further development and provide the necessary tools to guide the molecular design of new advanced organic electrodes and generate transferable knowledge in the field of energy storage.