The goal of this research was to study the effect of organic precursors with functionalized aromatic anhydrides or aromatic diketones on the performance of the <mml:math display="inline"><mml:mrow><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">Li</mml:mi><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">Fe</mml:mi><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">P</mml:mi><mml:msub><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">O</mml:mi><mml:mrow><mml:mn>4</mml:mn></mml:mrow></mml:msub><mml:mo>∕</mml:mo><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">C</mml:mi></mml:mrow></mml:math>LiFePO4∕C composite. A coprecipitation method was applied to prepare a series of <mml:math display="inline"><mml:mrow><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">Li</mml:mi><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">Fe</mml:mi><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">P</mml:mi><mml:msub><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">O</mml:mi><mml:mrow><mml:mn>4</mml:mn></mml:mrow></mml:msub><mml:mo>∕</mml:mo><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">C</mml:mi></mml:mrow></mml:math>LiFePO4∕C materials by calcinating amorphous <mml:math display="inline"><mml:mrow><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">Li</mml:mi><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">Fe</mml:mi><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">P</mml:mi><mml:msub><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">O</mml:mi><mml:mrow><mml:mn>4</mml:mn></mml:mrow></mml:msub></mml:mrow></mml:math>LiFePO4 with <mml:math display="inline"><mml:mrow><mml:mn>5</mml:mn><mml:mspace width="0.3em"></mml:mspace><mml:mi>wt</mml:mi><mml:mspace width="0.3em"></mml:mspace><mml:mo>%</mml:mo></mml:mrow></mml:math>5wt% organic precursors at <mml:math display="inline"><mml:mrow><mml:mn>750</mml:mn><mml:mo>°</mml:mo><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">C</mml:mi></mml:mrow></mml:math>750°C . The materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, particle size analysis, thermal analysis, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller specific surface area and electrochemical methods. The obtained <mml:math display="inline"><mml:mrow><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">Li</mml:mi><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">Fe</mml:mi><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">P</mml:mi><mml:msub><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">O</mml:mi><mml:mrow><mml:mn>4</mml:mn></mml:mrow></mml:msub><mml:mo>∕</mml:mo><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">C</mml:mi></mml:mrow></mml:math>LiFePO4∕C composites showed a well-ordered olivine-type <mml:math display="inline"><mml:mrow><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">Li</mml:mi><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">Fe</mml:mi><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">P</mml:mi><mml:msub><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">O</mml:mi><mml:mrow><mml:mn>4</mml:mn></mml:mrow></mml:msub></mml:mrow></mml:math>LiFePO4 structure with a minor <mml:math display="inline"><mml:mrow><mml:msub><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">Fe</mml:mi><mml:mrow><mml:mn>2</mml:mn></mml:mrow></mml:msub><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">P</mml:mi></mml:mrow></mml:math>Fe2P impurity. The occurrence of the <mml:math display="inline"><mml:mrow><mml:msub><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">Fe</mml:mi><mml:mrow><mml:mn>2</mml:mn></mml:mrow></mml:msub><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">P</mml:mi></mml:mrow></mml:math>Fe2P phase can be attributed to the relatively high temperature of <mml:math display="inline"><mml:mrow><mml:mn>750</mml:mn><mml:mo>°</mml:mo><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">C</mml:mi></mml:mrow></mml:math>750°C . The <mml:math display="inline"><mml:mrow><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">Li</mml:mi><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">Fe</mml:mi><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">P</mml:mi><mml:msub><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">O</mml:mi><mml:mrow><mml:mn>4</mml:mn></mml:mrow></mml:msub><mml:mo>∕</mml:mo><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">C</mml:mi></mml:mrow></mml:math>LiFePO4∕C composites produced by pyrolysis of an aromatic diketone with a longer alkoxy branch exhibited a better capacity compared to other types of organic compounds. The longer alkoxy aromatic diketone showed a better performance because its decomposition temperature was close to the temperature of the <mml:math display="inline"><mml:mrow><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">Li</mml:mi><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">Fe</mml:mi><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">P</mml:mi><mml:msub><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">O</mml:mi><mml:mrow><mml:mn>4</mml:mn></mml:mrow></mml:msub></mml:mrow></mml:math>LiFePO4 phase transformation resulting in a fine particle size and uniform carbon distribution on the composite surface. The performance of different organic precursors showed a strong relationship with its decomposition temperature, but was not in correlation with its weight loss. According to Raman spectral analysis, longer alkoxy aromatic diketones have a larger <mml:math display="inline"><mml:mrow><mml:mrow><mml:mo>(</mml:mo><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">D</mml:mi><mml:mo>+</mml:mo><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">G</mml:mi><mml:mo>)</mml:mo></mml:mrow><mml:mo>∕</mml:mo><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">P</mml:mi><mml:msub><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">O</mml:mi><mml:mrow><mml:mn>4</mml:mn></mml:mrow></mml:msub></mml:mrow></mml:math>(D+G)∕PO4 peak ratio indicating higher uniform and carbon content coating on <mml:math display="inline"><mml:mrow><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">Li</mml:mi><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">Fe</mml:mi><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">P</mml:mi><mml:msub><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">O</mml:mi><mml:mrow><mml:mn>4</mml:mn></mml:mrow></mml:msub><mml:mo>∕</mml:mo><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">C</mml:mi></mml:mrow></mml:math>LiFePO4∕C particles.

A series of metal coordination polymers, [Li₂(OBA)] (1), [Na₂(OBA)(H₂O)] (2), [K(HOBA)] (3), [Rb(HOBA)] (4), [Cs(HOBA)] (5), [Mg(OBA)(H₂O)₂] (6), [Ca(OBA)(H₂O)] (7), and [Sr(OBA)(H₂O)] (8) (H₂OBA = 4,4′-oxybisbenzoic acid), was synthesized from alkali and alkaline-earth metal salts and 4,4′-oxybisbenzoic acid by solvothermal reactions. Single crystal X-ray structure analysis revealed that compounds 1–5 and 7–8 are three-dimensional while complex 6 has a layered structure. The inorganic motifs, ranging from discrete octahedra (6), edge-sharing octahedral dimers (7), and straight one-dimensional inorganic chains (1 and 8) to two-dimensional inorganic layers (2–5), are connected through organic linkers and thus form neutral networks. High thermal stabilities were observed for compounds 1, 2, 6, 7, and 8 up to approximately 500 °C. Electrochemical measurements of 1 revealed a stabilized reversible capacity of approximately 100 mAh g⁻¹ after more than 30 charge/discharge cycles.

The electrocatalytic activities of the MnO₂/C composites are examined in Li-O₂ cells as the cathode catalysts. Hierarchically mesoporous carbon-supported manganese oxide (MnO₂/C) composites are prepared using a combination of soft template and hydrothermal methods. The composites are characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, small angle X-ray scattering, The Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) measurements, galvanostatic charge-discharge methods, and rotating ring-disk electrode (RRDE) measurements. The electrochemical tests indicate that the MnO₂/C composites have excellent catalytic activity towards oxygen reduction reactions (ORRs) due to the larger surface area of ordered mesoporous carbon and higher catalytic activity of MnO₂. The O₂ solubility, diffusion rates of O₂ and O₂^•− coefficients (DO₂ and D O⁻₂ ), the rate constant (k_f) for producing O₂^•−_, and the propylene carbonate (PC)-electrolyte decomposition rate constant (k) of the MnO₂/C material were measured by RRDE experiments in the 0.1 M TBAPF₆/PC electrolyte. The values of k_f and k for MnO₂/C are 4.29 × 10⁻² cm·s⁻¹ and 2.6 s⁻¹, respectively. The results indicate that the MnO₂/C cathode catalyst has higher electrocatalytic activity for the first step of ORR to produce O₂^•− and achieves a faster PC-electrolyte decomposition rate.