Redox potential advances of quinone derivatives for energy storage applications

Abstract

Natural quinone’s electron transfer role is an important aspect in a number of areas like bio- chemistry, medicine, and electrochemical redox reactions for energy storage applications. This electroactive nature of quinones has placed them as of interest for energy storage and energy harvesting applications. Recent rechargeable energy storage systems which have been advanced are redox flow batteries (RFB), pseudocapaci- tors, and Li-ion batteries made up of reversible quinone redox couples. Quinone and its derivatives are preferred as redox active compounds used to fabricate rechargeable batteries due to their relative high energy density, fast charging rate, solubility in electrolytes, abundance, and cyclic stability. This review paper summarizes quinone’s molecular structure, its electrochemical behavior, quinone redox predictions, and the strides made in predicting its redox potential computationally. These recent advances in the functionalization of quinone hybrid materials based on their redox properties applications can provide solutions to the engineering of bio-inspired energy storage systems such as rechargeable batteries.