The Development of Redox-Active Helical Polypeptides for Battery Application

This work seeks to develop polypeptide nanocomposites containing redox-active moieties as cathode and anode components to circumvent the drawbacks of conventional lithium ion batteries, e.g., use of scarce resources, high carbon emissions, and high-cost recycling. Polymer frameworks carrying 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine 1-oxyl (TEMPO) and viologen moieties are recognized as viable materials for next-generation battery cathodes and anodes, respectively, due to their stabilities and redox processes. Anticipating that the secondary structures adopted by polypeptides will provide opportunities to control the placement of radicals in three-dimensional space by tuning the distribution of radicals along polymer backbones, polypeptides containing TEMPO and viologen were designed for utilization in electrodes. This presentation will highlight the synthetic processes, followed by investigation of the physical and electrochemical properties of the materials, and their secondary structures, by utilizing a variety of thermal, spectroscopic, and imaging techniques. It is anticipated that the synthetic development of radical polypeptide nanocomposites will address needs in the advancement of high-performance and sustainable alternative energy sources (e.g., supercapacitors, and biosensors) towards a greener and more sustainable world, which is facing a never-ending demand for energy technologies. Figure 1