Introduction; Definitions:

The storage of electrical energy has become a key technology today. There is an urgent need for better storage options for renewable energies (water, wind, and solar) in order to be able to further reduce CO2 emissions and thus secure the environment. Batteries offer higher storage capacities adn are more suitalbe for long term storage of large amounts of energy. Supercapcitors can be charged and dischared very quickly and deliver very high power densities. These supercapacitors servers for example as storage buffers in wind turbines, and for rapid recuperation of braking energy in electric vehicles. 

In most batteries electrical energy is stored chemically and released again in a controlled manner when needed. A classic embodiment consists of a cathode and an anode, each in an electroyte solution, separated by a separation membrane. (Meerholz, US 2022/0190339)

Annode: is the electrode at which oxidation occurs. (Oxidation involves the loss of an electron by a molecule, atom or ion. (ie., loss of H or gain or O). Oxidation is sometimes referred to as gaining a positive charge. ) Electrons flow away from the annode and the conventional current towards it. 

Cathode: At the cathode, reduction takes place with the electrons arriving from the wire connected to the cathode and are absorbed by the oxidizing agent. (Reduction involves the uptake of an electron by a molecule, atom or ion (i.e., gain of H or loss of O).)

Lithium-ion Batteres and Supercapacitors:

Lithium-ion technologies are currently the sector in the energy stroage field with the alrgest investments in the world. Compared to conventional batteries, they are much more powerful and eficient. Their main applicactiones includes light and starter batteries for vehicles, consumer electronics (e.g., cell phones, PCs, tablets) as well as in the industrial sector. In the automative industry, the use of lithium-ion technology is steadily increasing. (Meerholz, US 2022/0190339)

The cost of raw materiasl accounts for 40-70% of the cost of manufacturing Li-ion batteries with cathod csots about 27%. Cathode materiasl include LiCoO2, LiMn2O4, LiMPO$. The main price drivers for these etched cathode materials are the raw material prices for cobalt and nickel. (Meerholz, US 2022/0190339)

Organic Redox-Active polymers (ORP) based Electrode materials:

ORP baed electrode materials consist mainly of carbon, nitrogen and oxgyen (Cn, N, O) from reseource saving raw amterails. Other limtied raw materails are not needed, and ORPs casue fewer problems in recovery, disposal and recycling. It is currently not foreseable that metal-free (polyer) electrodes reach the energy desnsity of Li-ion batteries since the molar mass of a redox unit in the established Li-ion batteries cathod materials (e..g, LicoO2=98 g/ml) is lower than in typical redox systems of active organic compounds (e.g., tripheny amine-245 g/ml). Nevertheless, due to ther advantageous properties, organic metal-free electrodes could in the future offer interesting environmentally friendly alternative. Starting from that technical background, polytriphenylamine compounds promise a vareity of advantages. The cathode consists of a highly conductive poly-p-phenylene backbone which ihas a high rate stroage and a high electronic conductive potential. (Meerholz, US 2022/0190339)

Non-conjugated polymer backbones:

(Meerholz, US 2022/0190339) discloses a non-conjugated system within the organic compound to guarantee independent charging and discharging. The approach is a non-conjugated polymer backbone, to which the redox-units are attached in a way that they are not electorically coupled to each other. In such a system, the redox protential of each uit will be marginally, if at all, influenced by the charging state of neighbouring redox-units. Non-conjugated triphenylamine is combined with a porous matrix system. The metal-free polymeric electrode material can be adjsuted in its porosity by a special processing method, whereby the pore size and thus the contact surface to the electrolyte solution is adapted. In a first aspect, an electrode includes an organic compound prepared by polymerization of a triarylamine haivng at least one reactive polymerizable group, characterized in that in the organic compound at least a part of the aryl moieites of the triaryl amine are non-conjugatedly connected to each other. This means that the aryl moeities of the organic compound are connected to each other over a backbone which is not electronically conjugated which means that the aryl moeiteis of the organic ompound are connected to each other over a backbone whcih does not include conjugated double bonds. This structure of the organic compound in which the aryl moieties are decoupled from each other allows to realize a more constant voltage curve over the entire duration of the discharing and charging of the electrode. In anther aspect, the invention is characterized in that the organic compound has at least a bimodal pore size distribution. Based on the at least modal pore size distribution, channels and/or pores are available in the resulting electrode material in which the electrolyte solution (solvent and salt can penetrate). The large surface of the elctrode allows faster charge exchagne and thus faster charging and discharing. The polymerized triaryl amine compound used in the electrode is usually applied on the electrode substrate with a binder. Anything that binds the conductive carbon component and the redox-active component together and imrproves adhesion to the electrode substrate/current collector is used as the binder. Examples include polyvinylidene fluoride. The organic compound used in the electrode can be provided in geometrical form of partciels, platelets or fibers. A polymeric network and not jsut a polymeric chain is preferred. The density of the network is determined by the degree of cross-linking, i.e., by the number of cross-linkable groups. The electrode may additionally include at least one additive which is preferably selected from the group consisting of non-redox active materials such as polystyrene, PVK, polyrethane. The triaryl amine having at elast one reactive polymerizable group and being polymerized allows a so-called balanced ion movement. Due to the addition of a salt (in case I) preferably a polymeric salt, to the triaryl amine having at least one reactive polymerizable group and being polymerized, or due to the covalent attachment of ionic groups (case II) to the triaryl amine having at least one reactive polymerizable group and polymerized, the charge balance during charging or discharging by the transport of both ion types (positive and negative) at the same time (balanced ion movement, BIM) can be achieved more easily. There occurs an ion movement in both directions (into and out of the electrode material) during each charge and discharge process of a batttery in which the electrode is used. During charging, a cathod material is oxidized. For charge equalization anions migrate form the electrolyte (sovlent plus salt) into the cathode material and cations of the polyelectrolyte added to the redox-active material from the composition material into the electrolyte. The migration of (solvated) ions into and out of the cathode material cahnges its volume during charging and discharging. Simultatneou migration of ions into the cathode and migration of ions out of the cathode occurs. As a result, the volume change of the cathode is reduced and thus it is reduced or avoided that hte electrode is subjected to mechanical stress and cracking of the material, loss of adhesion to the current colector or spalling of parts of the redox materail. By optimizing mixing ratio or depending on the tyep of ion, a volume change may be reduced or completely avoided. In case I (the addition of a salt-polymeric anion), the cathod material is admixed with a sale consisting of a polyanion and LMW cations. An example couple be the lithium or soidum sale of polystyrene sulfonic acid. Curing charing, the cathode material is oxidized. For cahrge equalization anions migrate from the electrolyte (solvent plus salt) into the material and cations of the polyelectrolyte added tot he redox-active material migrate from the composition material into the electrolyte. In case II (coavlent attachmetn of annionic groups), the cathod material is chemically modified (covalent attachmetn) and thus beomces a salt itself, consisting of a directly attached anion and LMW cations. The anionic groups covaelntly bonded to the redox system coule be sulfonate, phosphate, acetate groups of the like. Suitable cationic counterions are for example Na+ or Li2+. As in Case 1, the cathod material is oxidized. For charge equalizaiton, anions migrate form the electrolyte (solvent plus salt) into the material and cations of the caovelntly bonded ionic groups into the cationic redox system migrate from the materail into the electrolye.