DABCOnium: An Efficient and High-Voltage Stable Singlet Oxygen Quencher for Metal–O2 Cells

Abstract

Singlet oxygen (1O2) causes a major fraction of the parasitic chemistry during the cycling of non-aqueous alkali metal-O2 batteries and also contributes to interfacial reactivity of transition-metal oxide intercalation compounds. We introduce DABCOnium, the mono alkylated form of 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane (DABCO), as an efficient 1O2 quencher with an unusually high oxidative stability of ca. 4.2 V vs. Li/Li+. Previous quenchers are strongly Lewis basic amines with too low oxidative stability. DABCOnium is an ionic liquid, non-volatile, highly soluble in the electrolyte, stable against superoxide and peroxide, and compatible with lithium metal. The electrochemical stability covers the required range for metal–O2 batteries and greatly reduces 1O2 related parasitic chemistry as demonstrated for the Li–O2 cell.