Organic cathode materials can be used in various battery systems like lithium, sodium, magnesium batteries and can be prepared from low-cost and sustainable resources, which makes them one of the promising materials for future batteries. One of the pressing issues of contemporary research on the cathode materials was the lack of characterization techniques that would allow real-time monitoring of changes inside cathodes during electrochemical cycling. With the financing from the Honda R&D Europe and Slovenian Research agency and joint effort from two departments we developed a new method of probing changes inside the cathodes through IR spectroscopy. Method was developed for explanation of poly (anthraquinonyl) sulfide polymer in Li and Mg batteries. In both systems we observed reduction of carbonyl bond during discharge of the battery. The results of IR measurements were confirmed through calculation of theoretical spectra and synthesis of model compounds. New method presents a powerful tool for research of new organic cathode materials and study of degradation processes inside cathodes. Confirmation of the discharge mechanism in Mg battery system opens new possibilities in research of Mg?organic batteries, where we are successfully cooperating with Honda R&D Europe in the last five years.
COBISS.SI-ID: 6333978