Application of Calix[4]quinone in secondary batteries

It is urgent to develop environmental friendly and sustainable large energy storage devices with superior performances. Conventional lithium-ion batteries based on transition metal oxide limited by their low theoretical specifc capacity and structure cannot meet the demand of future energy storage system. The development and application of new types of Li-organic materials, Li-S, Li-O₂, flow battery and other batteries system will become the main focus of future energy systems. Especially, the conjugated carbonyl compounds with the merits of high theoretical capacity, flexible structure, fne redox property and green sustainability are potential energy storage materials for future. Calix4] quinone (C₂₈H₁₆O₈, C4Q) is a quinone derivative of Calix4] arene, with a high theoretical capacity of 446 mA·h/g, which is signifcantly higher than that of traditional inorganic electrode materials. C4Q contains four p-quinone units linked by four methylene groups, the carbonyl groups are not sterically encumbered, hence the eight active centers are capable for reversible electrode reactions. Furthermore, the molecular structure of C4Q very stable and hardly decomposes in the electrochemical processes. More importantly, it is not limited to the reaction system theoretically by virtue of the electron transfer reaction, so it can be used as electrode materials for lithium, sodium, zinc and magnesium plasma batteries. In this paper, the applications of C4Q and its modifcation strategies are summarized.