Today, organic/polymeric materials are used in a wide range of applications, from electronics and photovoltaics to organic light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The aim of this lecture was to show that Li ion batteries also benefit from these materials, both in terms of electrodes and electrolytes. It began with a historical review of polymers, mentioning key research in this field for electrochemical energy storage, such as i) the synthesis of Nafion (proton conductor) by Crot (1968), ii) the observation of high ionic conductivity in complexes (PEG-PEO + alkaline materials) by P. Wright (1973) and the discovery of electronically conductive polymers by Shirakawa, McDiarmid and Heeger in 1977 (Nobel Prize 2000), which led to the first polyacethylene/Li battery in 1979. This was followed by a description of the beneficial contribution of ionic conducting polymers, with two technologies in the pipeline. The first, based on PEO + lithium salts, known as the all-solid polymer battery, operates at 80°C and is currently being developed by Bolloré to power the "blue car" in the autolib program. The second, based on plasticized polymers (PVDF-HFP + liquid electrolyte) operating at room temperature, is known as the Li ion plastic battery (PLiION); it is marketed for portable applications as well as for electric vehicles.
The essential current advantage of electrodes based on well-chosen electroactive organic molecules, such as Li dirhodizonate (L2C6O6) or Li terephthalate (Li2C8H6O4), which are manufactured from precursors derived from biomass via green chemistry concepts, lies in the fact that they can be used to develop more durable and environmentally-friendly Li ion batteries. Such concepts have led to the development of the first eco-compatible organic Li ion batteries. Although the performance of these batteries is still low, the fact remains that they present the ideal life cycle, thanks to their lowCO2 footprint, due to the fact that 1) the electrodes are derived from biomass and 2) the recycling of these materials is rapid, using the sun: an abundant and inexpensive source.
