Open Access

ARTICLE

p-Phenylenediamine-Benzoquinone Polymer/Reduced Graphene Oxide Flexible Composite Films as a Cathode Material for Rechargeable Lithium-Ion Batteries

Zhouqishuo Cai^#, Donghua Liu^#, Yanan Zhao, Zewen Lin, Shumin Lin, Dan Zhong, Hua Bai^*
College of Materials, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
* Corresponding Author: Hua Bai. Email:
# These authors contributed equally to this work

Journal of Polymer Materials https://doi.org/10.32604/jpm.2026.085943

Received 25 May 2026; Accepted 31 July 2026; Published online 27 August 2026

Abstract

Benzoquinone-derived organic cathodes are gaining prominence in rechargeable lithium-ion batteries owing to their rapid redox kinetics and sustainable origins. However, their practical application is severely limited by the high solubility of benzoquinone species in organic electrolytes, which leads to rapid capacity decay during cycling. Although polymerization can effectively suppress dissolution, the resulting polymers often suffer from poor electronic conductivity and low utilization of redox-active sites. Herein, a p-phenylenediamine-benzoquinone polymer (PPD-BQ) was synthesized and integrated with reduced graphene oxide (RGO) to fabricate self-supported flexible composite films through a simple one-pot strategy. The uniformly distributed polymer layers effectively prevent the restacking of RGO nanosheets, while the highly conductive RGO framework accelerates charge transport and suppresses polymer dissolution through strong interfacial interactions. Consequently, the PPD-BQ/RGO composite films demonsreste outstanding electrochemical properties, achieving a reversible capacity of 132 mAh g⁻¹ at 2000 mA g⁻¹, with 73.0% capacity retention after 3000 cycles at 1500 mA g⁻¹. In addition, the composite films maintain 93.6% of their room-temperature capacity at 0°C in a DOL-based electrolyte, demonstrating excellent low-temperature electrochemical activity. This work presents a simple and scalable approach for fabricating flexible, high-performance organic electrode materials for sustainable energy-storage applications.

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Keywords

p-phenylenediamine-benzoquinone polymer; reduced graphene oxide; composite films; lithium-ion batteries; flexible electrode materials

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