Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Rechargeable aluminium (Al) batteries (RABs) have long-been pursued due to the high sustainability and three-electron-transfer properties of Al metal. However, limited redox chemistry is available for rechargeable Al batteries, which restricts the exploration of cathode materials. Herein, we demonstrate an efficient Al-amine battery based on a quaternization reaction, in which nitrogen (radical) cations (R₃ N^.+ or R₄ N⁺ ) are formed to store the anionic Al complex. The reactive aromatic amine molecules further oligomerize during cycling, inhibiting amine dissolution into the electrolyte. Consequently, the constructed Al-amine battery exhibits a high reversible capacity of 135 mAh g^-1 along with a superior cycling life (4000 cycles), fast charge capability and a high energy efficiency of 94.2 %. Moreover, the Al-amine battery shows excellent stability against self-discharge, far beyond conventional Al-graphite batteries. Our findings pave an avenue to advance the chemistry of RABs and thus battery performance.