Recently, the research team lead by Prof. Zhouguang Lu from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering of SUSTech, published research paper entitled “Highly Durable Organic Electrode for Sodium-Ion Batteries via a Stabilized α-C Radical Intermediate”  on Nature Communications Online, and proposed a novel concept that improve the electrode stability of organic polymer through radical group.

It is a challenge to prepare organic electrodes for sodium-ion batteries with long cycle life and high capacity. The highly reactive radical intermediates generated during the sodiation/desodiation process could be a critical issue because of undesired side reactions.

Here the research team of Prof. Zhouguang Lu presents durable electrodes with a stabilized α-C radical intermediate. Through the resonance effect as well as steric effects, the excessive reactivity of the unpaired electron is successfully suppressed, thus developing an electrode with stable cycling for over 2,000 cycles with 96.8% capacity retention. In addition, the α-radical demonstrates reversible transformation between three states: C=C; α-C·radical; and α-C⁻ anion. Such transformation provides additional Na⁺ storage equal to more than 0.83 Na⁺ insertion per α-C radical for the electrodes.

The strategy of intermediate radical stabilization could be enlightening in the design of organic electrodes with enhanced cycling life and energy storage capability.

ShaoFei Wu and Wenxi Wang, laboratory assistants of Prof. Zhouguang Lu’s research team, are Co-first author of this publication, and Prof. Zhouguang Lu is the corresponding author. Lujie Cao, PhD candidate of Prof. Zhouguang Lu and Minchan Li, Fucong Lv, Mingyang Yang, Zhifang Sun, RA of Prof. Zhouguang Lu also participated in this researches.

The part characterization of synchrotron radiation  was accomplished in Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility(SSRF), and Prof. Zhenhua Chen, Prof. Wen Wen, Prof. Lijuan Zhang from SSRF also participated in this research, which were also supported by the National Natural Science Foundation, Shenzhen peacock plan, Shenzhen Basic Research Projects and the Scientific Research Foundation for  Advanced  talens.