Synthesis and spectroscopic characterization of NiII coordination network: Poly-[tris(µ4-Benzene-1,4-dicarboxylato)-tetrakis(µ1-dimethylformamide-κ1O)-trinickel(II)] as material for lithium ion batteries

Abstract

The compound Ni3(C8H4O4)3(C3H7NO)3, poly-[tris(µ4-Benzene-1,4-dicarboxylato)-tetrakis(µ1-dimethylformamide-κ1O)-trinickel(II)], was synthesized by the solvothermal method prepared via reaction between NiCl2•6H2O and terephthalic acid using N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) as solvent. The structure was characterized by powder X-ray diffraction and infrared spectroscopy analyses. The electrochemical properties as a potential active material in lithium-ion batteries were characterized by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and galvanostatic charge-discharge curves in a battery half-cell. The characterization results show that the coordination network contains one independent structure in the asymmetric unit. It is constructed from Ni2+ ions, terephthalate bridges and in-situ-generated DMF ligands, forming two similar two-dimensional (2D) layer structures. These similar 2D layers are in an alternating arrangement and are linked with each other by dense H—H interactions (45%) to generate a three-dimensional (3D) supramolecular framework with ordered and disordered DMF molecules. The electrochemical measurements, conducted in the potential range of 0.5–3.5 V vs Li/Li+, show that Ni3(C8H4O4)3(C3H7NO)4 has good electrochemical properties and can work as anode in lithium-ion batteries. The material presents an initial specific capacity of ∼420 mAh g−1, which drops during consecutive scans but stabilizes at ∼50 mAh g−1. However, due to the wide potential range there are indications of a gradual collapse of the structure. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy shows an increase of charge transfer resistance from 24 to 1190 Ohms after cycling likely due to this collapse.