Aqueous batteries have been considered to be a competitive candidate for large-scale energy storage. However, most of aqueous batteries adopt inorganic electrode materials with metallic elements, which are based on the reversible insertion of metal ions, making their application being highly hindered by limited cycle life, environmental issue, high cost and low reserves. On the other hand, organic electrode materials offer the advantages of abundant reserves, tunable structures, renewability and environmental benignity. Furthermore, the wide internal space enables these organics to flexibly store various charge carriers. Organics have been investigated as the alternative to inorganic electrode materials. Herein, we review the progress in organic electrode materials reported by our group, focusing on the reaction chemistry of organics with carbonyls for storing monovalent ions (Li+, Na+), divalent ion (Zn2+) and proton (H+), and the corresponding application in the field of metal ion batteries, proton batteries and the water electrolysis as redox buffer electrodes.
Graphical Abstract
Keywords
organic electrodes, aqueous batteries, metal ion batteries, hydronium batteries, decoupled water electrolysis
