Simplifying and accelerating kinetics enabling fast-charge Al battery

Nowadays, cost-efficient and high-power energy storage technologies are urgently required for extensive integration of intermittent wind and solar renewable energy. Complying with the simplification and acceleration principle, we designed a fast-charge Al organic battery in which ionic diffusion in anode materials and through solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) process are simplified while the generation of charge-carrier ions in cathode/anode interface and ion diffusion in cathode materials are accelerated. A prototype based on 2, 3, 5, 6-tetraphthalimido-p-benzoquinone (TPBQ)-Al was successfully demonstrated with 100 mAh pouch cells displaying superior power capability, high energy density and excellent cycling stability. Moreover, extensive characterizations and DFT calculations predict the crystal structure and simulate the precise reaction pathway corresponding to the thermodynamic redox potential of TPBQ that consolidate our proposed AlCl2+ electrochemical surface-coordination and storage mechanism. We believe that our design philosophy by simplifying and accelerating kinetics would provide guidance for tailoring fast and affordable energy storage systems.