Polymer‐Based Organic Cathodes

Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have dominated the energy market of portable electronic products and electric vehicles due to their advantages of high energy storage, low self-discharge, and high stability, which have greatly promoted the development of energy storage. However, their limited energy density, high cost, and complex recovery process limit their further application. In recent years, organic compounds with adjustable structures, rich resources, and environmental friendliness have been widely studied as cathode materials in metal batteries. Among them, organic polymers are polymerized from different types of organic units with multiple redox active sites, high theoretical specific capacity, and low solubility in electrolytes, showing excellent electrochemical properties. In this chapter, we discuss the relationship between the polymer structure and its electrochemical performance in detail, including the application of organosulfur polymers, carbonyl-derived polymers, covalent organic framework-derived polymers, organic radical-derived polymers, and other polymers with redox active sites located in nitrogen atoms as cathode materials. Finally, some views on the application prospects and challenges of polymer-based organic cathode materials in energy storage are put forward.