Polypeptide organic radical batteries
Polypeptide organic radical batteries
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DOI：
10.1038/s41586-021-03399-1
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发表时间：
2021-05-06
期刊：
影响因子：
64.8
通讯作者：
Wooley, Karen L.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Nguyen, Tan P.;Easley, Alexandra D.;Wooley, Karen L.
在短短几十年的时间里，锂离子电池已经彻底改变了技术，使便携式设备和电动汽车得以普及，为社会带来了巨大的利益。然而，技术的快速发展凸显了开采锂、钴和其他矿产资源的伦理和环境挑战，以及与电池的安全使用和无害处置相关的问题(2)。只有一小部分锂离子电池被回收利用，这进一步加剧了全球战略元素的材料供应（3-5）。一种潜在的替代方案是使用基于有机的氧化还原活性材料（6-8）来开发可充电电池，这种电池来源于道德来源，可持续材料，并可按需解构和重建。制造这种电池具有挑战性，因为活性材料必须在使用期间稳定，但在使用寿命结束时可降解。此外，降解产物应该是环保的或可回收再造成一个新的电池。在这里，我们展示了一种不含金属的多肽电池，其中暴力原和氮氧化物自由基作为氧化还原活性基团被纳入多肽骨架，分别作为阳极和阴极材料。这些具有氧化还原活性的多肽作为活性物质，在电池运行期间是稳定的，随后在酸性条件下按需降解，生成氨基酸、其他构建模块和降解产物。这种基于多肽的电池是解决未来循环经济中对绿色和可持续电池替代化学物质需求的第一步。一种环保的全有机自由基电池，其中氧化还原活性多肽作为阴极和阳极材料，具有无金属有机电解质。
In only a few decades, lithium-ion batteries have revolutionized technologies, enabling the proliferation of portable devices and electric vehicles(1), with substantial benefits for society. However, the rapid growth in technology has highlighted the ethical and environmental challenges of mining lithium, cobalt and other mineral ore resources, and the issues associated with the safe usage and non-hazardous disposal of batteries(2). Only a small fraction of lithium-ion batteries are recycled, further exacerbating global material supply of strategic elements(3-5). A potential alternative is to use organic-based redox-active materials(6-8) to develop rechargeable batteries that originate from ethically sourced, sustainable materials and enable on-demand deconstruction and reconstruction. Making such batteries is challenging because the active materials must be stable during operation but degradable at end of life. Further, the degradation products should be either environmentally benign or recyclable for reconstruction into a new battery. Here we demonstrate a metal-free, polypeptide-based battery, in which viologens and nitroxide radicals are incorporated as redox-active groups along polypeptide backbones to function as anode and cathode materials, respectively. These redox-active polypeptides perform as active materials that are stable during battery operation and subsequently degrade on demand in acidic conditions to generate amino acids, other building blocks and degradation products. Such a polypeptide-based battery is a first step to addressing the need for alternative chemistries for green and sustainable batteries in a future circular economy.An environmentally friendly, all-organic radical battery is demonstrated, in which redox-active polypeptides perform as both cathode and anode materials, with a metal-free organic electrolyte.