Recent advances in developing tetrathiafulvalene analogs of electrode materials: discovery of an in-cell polymerization technique

Lithium-ion batteries are attractive for their use in portable electronics and electric vehicles owing to their high energy and power density. Organic materials as active materials for the positive electrode have attracted attention as an alternative to inorganic materials in sustainable batteries. However, there is a serious drawback that elution into the electrolyte solution. This article describes our attempts in the development of tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) analogs for active materials. We have developed four types of fused TTF systems; multifused TTF systems, TTF analogs extended with cyclohexene moieties, TTF analogs extended with an anthraquinoid spacer, and fused TTF and benzoquinone systems. These molecules were designed based on the idea that increasing the size and planarity of the molecules and intermolecular interactions. They were successfully synthesized and their cell performances were clarified. We also describe that a TTF analog bearing triphenylamines was applied to long-cycle-life electrodes as a recent effort. This molecule was successfully synthesized using palladium-catalyzed C-H arylation and the cycle life of the cells comprising this molecule was markedly improved by in-cell electropolymerization.