Sustainable and ubiquitous organic quinone cathodes contribute to high-capacity and safe rechargeable zinc batteries.

A key challenge faced by organic electrodes is how to promote the redox reactions of functional groups to achieve high specific capacity and rate performance. Here, we report a two-dimensional (2D) microporous covalent-organic framework (COF), poly(imide-benzoquinone), via in situ polymerization on graphene (PIBN-G) to function as a cathode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Such a structure favors charge transfer from graphene to PIBN and full access of both electrons and Li ions to the abundant redox-active carbonyl groups, which are essential for battery reactions. This enables large reversible specific capacities of 271.0 and 193.1 mAh g at 0.1 and 10 C, respectively, and retention of more than 86 % after 300 cycles. The discharging/charging process successively involves 8 Li and 2 Li in the carbonyl groups of the respective imide and quinone groups. The structural merits of PIBN-G will trigger more investigations into the designable and versatile COFs for electrochemistry.

Application of organic electrode materials in rechargeable batteries has attracted great interest because such materials contain abundant carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen elements. However, organic electrodes are highly soluble in organic electrolytes. An organic electrode of 2,3,5,6-tetraphthalimido-1,4-benzoquinone (TPB) is reported in which rigid groups coordinate to a molecular benzoquinone skeleton. The material is insoluble in aprotic electrolyte, and demonstrates a high capacity retention of 91.4 % (204 mA h g ) over 100 cycles at 0.2 C. The extended π-conjugation of the material contributes to enhancement of the electrochemical performance (155 mA h g at 10 C). Moreover, density functional theory calculations suggest that favorable synergistic reactions between multiple carbonyl groups and lithium ions can enhance the initial lithium ion intercalation potential. The described approach may provide a novel entry to next-generation organic electrode materials with relevance to lithium-ion batteries.

A new type of scrolled structure of Co(3)O(4)/reduced graphene oxide (r-GO) is facilely prepared through a two-step surfactant-assisted method. This assembly enables almost every single Co(3)O(4) scroll to connect with the r-GO platelets, thus leading to remarkable electrochemical performances in terms of high specific capacitance and good rate capability.

The liquid crystalline phase behavior and sol-gel transition in halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) aqueous dispersions have been investigated by applying polarized optical microscopy (POM), macroscopic observation, rheometer, small-angle X-ray scattering, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The liquid crystalline phase starts to form at the HNT concentration of 1 wt %, and a full liquid crystalline phase forms at the HNT concentration of 25 wt % as observed by POM and macroscopic observation. Rheological measurements indicate a typical shear flow behavior for the HNT aqueous dispersions with concentrations above 20 wt % and further confirm that the sol-gel transition occurs at the HNT concentration of 37 wt %. Furthermore, the HNT aqueous dispersions exhibit pH-induced gelation with more intense birefringence when hydrochloric acid (HCl) is added. The above findings shed light on the phase behaviors of diversely topological HNTs and lay the foundation for fabrication of the long-range ordered nano-objects.