Rechargeable organic molecule-air battery

Rechargeable aqueous metal-air batteries have been attracting attention because of their small environmental burden and high energy density compared to conventional lithium-ion batteries and lead-acid batteries. However, they usually have very low cyclability because of dendrite formation on the anode and carbonate salt clogging in the very base electrolyte during charging and discharging. To solve these problems, we focus on the anthraquinone molecule itself, which has a reversible redox capacity at the negative potential close to the potential window in aqueous electrolytes as the anode-active material and an acidic aqueous solution as the electrolyte. Here, we report a rechargeable organic molecule-air battery, composed of an organic redox molecule (anthraquinone derivative) as the anode, O 2 in the air (Pt/C) as the cathode, and 0.5 M H 2 SO 4 aqueous solution as the electrolyte. Using the organic redox molecule as an anode-active material maximizes both the cyclability and Coulombic efficiency of rechargeable aqueous air batteries.