Combining Deep Eutectic Solvents with TEMPO-based Polymer Electrodes: Influence of Molar Ratio on Electrode Performance

For sustainable storage of electrical energy, all-organic batteries based on redox-active polymers promise to become an alternative to conventional lithium ion batteries. Yet, polymers can only contribute to the goal of an all-organic cell as electrodes or as solid electrolytes. Here, we replace the electrolyte with a sustainable deep eutectic solvent (DES) composed of sodium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (NaTFSI) and N-methylacetamide (NMA), while using poly(2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-1-yl-oxyl methacrylate) (PTMA) as cathode. The successful combination of a DES with a polymer electrode is reported here for the first time. The electrochemical stability of PTMA electrodes in the DES at the eutectic molar ratio of 1:6 is comparable to conventional battery electrolytes. More viscous electrolytes with higher salt concentrations can hinder charging and discharging at high rates. Lower salt concentrations on the other hand lead to decreasing capacities and faster decomposition. The used eutectic mixture of 1:6 is best suited uniting high stability and moderate viscosity.