Mayankkumar Lakshmanbhai Chaudhary

Organic dual-ion batteries (ODIBs) represent a sustainable innovation in energy storage, utilizing organic compounds for both cathodes and anodes to avoid rare transition metals. They operate on a dual-ion mechanism in which cation-insertion occurs at the anode and anion-insertion at the cathode, enabling simultaneous shuttling of both charge carriers during charge and discharge. This design delivers high working voltages and improved energy efficiency compared to conventional lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). The organic electrodes, from conductive polymers like polypyrrole to molecularly engineered aromatic compounds, offer tunable structures, low weight, and environmental benignity. Advanced electrolytes, including ionic liquids (ILs) and organic salts, are employed to support the reversible intercalation of both anions and cations while ensuring stability. Overall, ODIBs leverage abundant renewable materials and unique dual-ion electrochemistry to deliver high-voltage, metal-free batteries, highlighting their potential advantages in safety, sustainability, and design flexibility over conventional technologies.

Aqueous organic batteries (AOBs) have emerged as an environmentally friendly and cost-effective alternative to conventional energy storage technologies. By utilizing organic redox-active materials (ORAMs) and water-based electrolytes, AOBs offer enhanced safety, sustainability, and material abundance while reducing dependence on critical metals such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel. Their structural versatility allows for tunable electrochemical properties, making them suitable for various energy storage applications. However, challenges such as the solubility of organic materials, capacity fade due to side reactions, and electrolyte degradation hinder their long-term performance and commercial viability. Strategies such as molecular engineering, electrolyte optimization, and electrode stabilization are being explored to mitigate these issues and enhance cycle life. Compared to lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), sodium-ion batteries (SIBs), and solid-state batteries (SSBs), AOBs offer significant safety advantages and cost benefits, making them a promising option for stationary energy storage and grid applications. Further research focusing on material innovation, electrolyte engineering, and cell design optimization is crucial for advancing AOBs toward large-scale deployment. With continued advancements, AOBs have the potential to make a significant contribution to the transition toward a sustainable and cleaner energy future.

This chapter explores the fundamental principles behind organic batteries, highlighting the crucial role of advanced characterization techniques to improve their performance and reliability. These batteries primarily employ organic materials like conductive polymers, small organic molecules, and carbon-based frameworks, which undergo reversible redox reactions essential for their functionality. Techniques such as cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge–discharge (GCD), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) provide valuable insights into the electrochemical properties, charge storage capabilities, and ion transport dynamics of these materials. Additionally, structural characterization tools like X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) reveal the material’s crystallinity, surface morphology, and internal architecture, which directly affect battery performance. Spectroscopic techniques, including Fourier transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), further enable the study of molecular interactions, functional groups, and surface chemistry, which influence electrochemical behavior. Advanced thermal characterization methods, such as thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), assess the thermal stability and decomposition behavior of electrode materials. Together, these techniques provide comprehensive insights that guide the design and optimization of organic batteries, enhancing their efficiency, stability, and long-term performance for next-generation energy storage systems.

The growing demand for sustainable and large-scale energy storage has driven significant advancements in organic redox flow batteries (ORFBs), an emerging alternative to traditional metal-based systems. Unlike vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs), ORFBs utilize organic molecules as redox-active species, offering advantages in cost-effectiveness, environmental sustainability, and molecular tunability. This chapter explores the fundamental principles of redox flow batteries (RFBs), emphasizing the design and synthesis of organic materials with improved electrochemical performance. Key topics include advancements in quinones, viologens, and conjugated polymers, highlighting their solubility, redox stability, and scalability. Recent breakthroughs, such as functional group modifications and machine learning-assisted material discovery, have optimized ORFB efficiency. Additionally, integrating photoelectrochemical (PEC) redox flow batteries (photo-RFBs) presents an innovative approach to harnessing solar energy for direct electrochemical storage. Despite these advancements, challenges remain, including long-term stability, material degradation, and scalability for commercial applications. Future research focuses on improving molecular design, electrolyte compatibility, and system integration to enhance efficiency and lifespan. This chapter provides a comprehensive overview of the latest developments in ORFBs, underscoring their potential as a key technology for next-generation energy storage solutions.

Organic multivalent metal batteries (OMMBs) have garnered a lot of attention in the search for long-term, efficient energy storage solutions. These batteries use the customizable electrochemical characteristics of organic electrode materials (OEMs) in conjunction with the multielectron redox capabilities of metals such as Mg, Ca, Zn, and Al. Compared to traditional electrodes made of metal, OEMs which are composed of common components like sulfur, carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen, are better for the environment. Because of their structural plasticity, they offer greater cycle stability, higher energy densities, and enhanced redox activity. The n-type, p-type, and bipolar types of OEMs are addressed in this chapter, which also investigates the function of covalent organic frameworks (COFs) and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) in the development of OMMB technology. Also covered is the topic of designing electrolytes specifically for these systems to maximize their performance. The electrochemical processes, practical applications, and synthesis methods of OMMBs are examined to demonstrate how they might change the game for energy storage with their affordable, environmentally friendly, and highly efficient solutions. In developing next-generation rechargeable batteries, the study highlights the revolutionary impact of combining organic materials with multivalent metal chemistry.

Bio-based polyurethane (PU) coatings offer sustainable alternatives to petrochemical coatings but often suffer from inferior mechanical performance, durability, and chemical resistance. This work addresses that challenge by integrating a trifunctional bio-based crosslinker (glycerol) and a silane-based additive (hexamethyldisilane (HMDS)) to simultaneously enhance structural robustness and hydrophobicity. Coatings were synthesized using a renewable soybean oil polyol (SOP), glycerol (5, 10, 15 and 20 wt.%), and methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI), followed by the addition of HMDS (10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 wt.%). Mechanical tests identified 10 wt.% glycerol as the optimal content, yielding a maximum tensile strength of 47.18 MPa. Incorporating 10 wt.% HMDS into the optimized formulation greatly increased water contact angle (WCA, 95.76°) and chemical resistance with minimal loss of mechanical performance (38.19 MPa, tensile strength); higher HMDS loadings caused network disruption and reduced strength. Calorimetry and thermogravimetric analyses confirmed that the modified coatings retained high thermal stability. This synergistic crosslinker additive strategy produced a structurally robust, water-resistant bio-based coating, demonstrating a viable high-performance sustainable coating solution for industrial applications.

Non-isocyanate polyurethanes (NIPUs) represent a sustainable alternative to conventional isocyanate-based systems, eliminating toxic reagents while maintaining good performance. In this study, bio-based NIPU coatings were synthesized from carbonated soybean oil (CSBO) via the carbonation of epoxidized soybean oil (ESBO) using carbon dioxide (CO₂), followed by polymerization with ethylenediamine (EDA) and varying concentrations of 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) (0–20 wt%). The amine groups of EDA and APTES participate in the ring-opening of cyclic carbonates to form β-hydroxyurethane linkages, while the triethoxysilane moieties of APTES may undergo hydrolysis–condensation to produce Si–O–Si domains, resulting in a β-hydroxyurethane–siloxane hybrid network. The optimized formulation CEA-5 exhibited the best, including a tensile strength of 3.3 MPa, elongation at break of ~150%, glass transition temperature (T_g) of ~7 °C, and thermal stability up to ~350 °C, where major thermal degradation happens. The synthesized coating material also shows adhesion (3.6 MPa on oak for CEA-10), hydrophobic behavior (water contact angle (WCA) ~102° for CEA-5), good chemical and ultraviolet (UV) resistance, and shape memory. The synergistic effect of urethane hydrogen bonding and siloxane crosslinking imparted enhanced toughness, flexibility, and durability. These findings express a scalable, eco-friendly strategy for producing silane-modified NIPU coatings with good mechanical, thermal, and coating performance suitable for sustainable industrial coating and adhesive applications.