An antiaromatic electrode-active material enabling high capacity and stable performance of rechargeable batteries.

Although aromatic compounds occupy a central position in organic chemistry, antiaromatic compounds have demonstrated little practical utility. Herein we report the application of an antiaromatic compound as an electrode-active material in rechargeable batteries. The performance of dimesityl-substituted norcorrole nickel(II) complex (NiNC) as a cathode-active material was examined with a Li metal anode. A maximum discharge capacity of about 207 mAhg(-1) was maintained after 100 charge/discharge cycles. Moreover, the bipolar redox property of NiNC enables the construction of a Li metal free rechargeable battery. The high performance of NiNC batteries demonstrates a prospective feature of stable antiaromatic compounds as electrode-active materials.