Electrochemical energy storage (EES) devices/batteries have become a key technology in our modern world. Common inorganic materials for batteries (Li-based and others) either contain toxic elements and/or feature life cycles with a dramatic carbon footprint on the environment. Alternative emerging and environmentally more friendly electrode materials with promising properties are redox active organic polymers. However their physico-chemical understanding together with their performance are still rather poor.
 
We are able to tailor a wide variety of p-, n- and b-type conjugated monomers for battery applications in terms of

• a large range of redox-potentials,
• adjustable cross-linking density of the resulting insoluble, redox-active, non-conjugated polymer network,
• adjustable porosity over several size scales.

Based on our huge experience in synthesis and processing of p- and n-type redox-active materials we aim at improving organic electrode materials as well as contribute to a better understanding of fundamental processes at/in organic electrodes upon charging and discharging. Here we focus on elucidating structure-property relations, via experimental investigations and computational modelling.

Links:

• Project "GREEN"
• Rückkehrprogramm NRW