Electron transfer reaction of TEMPO-based organic radical batteries in different solvent environments: comparing quantum and classical approaches

In this study, we delve into the complex electron transfer reactions associated with the redox-active (2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-1-yl)oxyl (TEMPO), a common component in organic radical batteries (ORBs). Our approach estimates quantum electron-transfer (ET) energies using Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations by sampling from structures simulated classically. This work presents a comparative study of reorganization energies in ET reactions across different solvents. Furthermore, we investigate how changes in the electrolyte environment can modify the reorganization energy and, consequently, impact ET dynamics. We also explore the relationship between classical and quantum ET energies using linear regression models. Importantly, this comparison between quantum and classical ET energies underscores the role of quantum effects, like charge delocalization, in offering added stabilization post-redox reactions. These effects are not adequately represented by the classical ET energy distribution. Our study shows that, although we find a significant correlation between the ET energies computed by DFT and the classical force field, the regression parameters depend on the solvent, highlighting that classical methods should be benchmarked by DFT before applying them to novel electrolyte materials.