KES6-0470
Pyridinium-based electrophores as model systems for understanding and designing negative electrodes for anion-ion rechargeable batteries
Topic
S6. Emerging Polymer and Hybrid Materials for Advanced Energy Storage and Conversion
When and Where
Sep 30, 2026
10:20 - 10:45
Room 311 & 312
Session Chairs
Ji Eon KWON
Presenter(s)
Philippe POIZOT (Nantes Université - IMN)
Co-Author(s)
Abstract
The growing demand for low-cost and greener energy-storage technologies has stimulated the search for alternatives to conventional inorganic battery materials. Most commercial batteries rely on metal-based compounds, which often involve scarce resources and energy-intensive processing. In contrast, organic electrode materials, composed of abundant elements such as C, H, N, and O, offer broad structural tunability and improved end-of-life management.
Organic electrochemistry enables the design of both n-type and p-type electroactive materials. While n-type systems operate through cation insertion, p-type materials store charge via reversible anion uptake and release, opening opportunities for the development of anionic rocking-chair batteries and fully organic energy-storage systems.
Among p-type organic redox systems, pyridinium-based electrophores represent a particularly attractive class of materials due to their reversible two-electron redox chemistry and readily tunable molecular structure. For instance, the 4,4′-bipyridinium motif (viologens) undergoes two consecutive one-electron reductions (V2+ ⇌ V•⁺ ⇌ V⁰), providing access to three stable redox states and enabling efficient charge-storage processes. Importantly, the relatively low operating potentials of viologen derivatives distinguish them from many other p-type materials, making them promising candidates for negative electrodes in emerging anionic rocking-chair battery systems.
In this contribution, we present a family of pyridinium-based electrophores, ranging from zwitterionic viologens and double salts to polymeric systems, developed as model platforms for studying anion-driven energy-storage mechanisms. Through a combination of molecular design, structural characterization, and electrochemical analysis, we explore how the ionic environment and molecular conformation, particularly the dihedral angle between pyridinium units, affect redox activity and tune the operating potential. These findings provide fundamental insights into structure–property relationships and offer new guidelines for the rational design of organic negative electrodes for anionic rocking-chair batteries.
Organic electrochemistry enables the design of both n-type and p-type electroactive materials. While n-type systems operate through cation insertion, p-type materials store charge via reversible anion uptake and release, opening opportunities for the development of anionic rocking-chair batteries and fully organic energy-storage systems.
Among p-type organic redox systems, pyridinium-based electrophores represent a particularly attractive class of materials due to their reversible two-electron redox chemistry and readily tunable molecular structure. For instance, the 4,4′-bipyridinium motif (viologens) undergoes two consecutive one-electron reductions (V2+ ⇌ V•⁺ ⇌ V⁰), providing access to three stable redox states and enabling efficient charge-storage processes. Importantly, the relatively low operating potentials of viologen derivatives distinguish them from many other p-type materials, making them promising candidates for negative electrodes in emerging anionic rocking-chair battery systems.
In this contribution, we present a family of pyridinium-based electrophores, ranging from zwitterionic viologens and double salts to polymeric systems, developed as model platforms for studying anion-driven energy-storage mechanisms. Through a combination of molecular design, structural characterization, and electrochemical analysis, we explore how the ionic environment and molecular conformation, particularly the dihedral angle between pyridinium units, affect redox activity and tune the operating potential. These findings provide fundamental insights into structure–property relationships and offer new guidelines for the rational design of organic negative electrodes for anionic rocking-chair batteries.
