Organic lithium-ion batteries (OLIBs) represent a new generation of power storage approach for their environmental benignity and high theoretical specific capacities. However, it has the disadvantage with regard to the dissolution of active materials in organic electrolyte. In this study, we encapsulated high capacity material calix[4]quinone (C4Q) in the nanochannels of ordered mesoporous carbon (OMC) CMK-3 with various mass ratios ranging from 1:3 to 3:1, and then systematically investigated their morphology and electrochemical properties. The nanocomposites characterizations confirmed that C4Q is almost entirely capsulated in the nanosized pores of the CMK-3 while the mass ratio is less than 2:1. As cathodes in lithium-ion batteries, the C4Q/CMK-3 (1:2) nanocomposite exhibits optimal initial discharge capacity of 427 mA h g −1 with 58.7% cycling retention after 100 cycles. Meanwhile, the rate performance is also optimized with a capacity of 170.4 mA h g −1 at 1 C. This method paves a new way to apply organic cathodes for lithium-ion batteries.

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Organic electrode materials have become a hot research field in lithium-ion batteries. However, the dissolution issue of organic materials (especially small molecules) in traditional electrolytes has become one of the important reasons to limit their application. The usage of highly concentrated electrolyte (HCE, >3 M) has been demonstrated to solve this problem, where the electrochemical performance of Pillar[5]quinone (P5Q) in 4.2 M LiTFSA/AN electrolyte was investigated. The HCE can avoid the reaction between acetonitrile molecules and lithium metal anode, reduce the dissolution of organic materials, and display excellent battery performance. At a current density of 0.2 C, a high specific capacity of 310 mAh g À1 (C theo = 446 mAh g À1 ) was maintained after 900 cycles, and the reversible capacity is higher than 113 mAh g À1 even at 10 C, indicating a good rate capability. This research would expand the new application of acetonitrile-based electrolyte in organic secondary battery.