Novel Conjugated Poly(2-Aminothiazole) Hollow Nanospheres as High-Performance Anode for Alkali Metal Ion Storage

In concern of resource sustainability and environmental friendliness, organic compounds as electrode materials for rechargeable batteries have attracted increasing attentions on account of their recyclability and highly tailorable properties. However, some organic electrode materials show unsatisfactory electrochemical performance because of their unfavorable dissolution, low conductivity, and poor reaction kinetic. Herein, the conjugated poly(2-aminothiazole) (P2AT) hollow nanospheres are firstly synthesized via one-pot oxidation polymerization. Owing to the conjugated skeleton, high electronic/ion conductivity, high specific surface area, and rich active sites, the P2AT polymer shows high reversible capacity, good rate performance and cycling stability when firstly used as anode for alkali metal ion batteries. P2AT delivered a high capacity of 533 mAh g −1 with a capacitance retention of 90% and a coulombic efficiency of nearly 100% after 1000 cycles as anode for lithium-ion batteries. When tested as anode for potassium-ion batteries, it still can maintain a capacity of 299 mAh g −1 with a CE of 99.6% after 100 cycles. Ex-situ FTIR spectra during discharging/charging process verify the reversible redox mechanism and structural stability. The simple preparation of P2AT and good electrochemical performance provide the significant insights into developing sustainable energy storage devices