Conduction through viscoelastic phase in a redox-active ionic liquid at reduced temperatures

Highly Electrically Conductive Polyiodide Ionic Liquid Cathode for High-Capacity Dual-Plating Zinc-Iodine Batteries

Zinc-iodine batteries are one of the most intriguing types of batteries that offer high energy density and low toxicity. However, the low intrinsic conductivity of iodine, together with high polyiodide solubility in aqueous electrolytes limits the development of high-areal-capacity zinc-iodine batteries with high stability, especially at low current densities. Herein, we proposed a hydrophobic polyiodide ionic liquid as a zinc-ion battery cathode, which successfully activates the iodine redox process by offering 4 orders of magnitude higher intrinsic electrical conductivity and remarkably lower solubility that suppressed the polyiodide shuttle in a dual-plating zinc-iodine cell. By the molecular engineering of the chemical structure of the polyiodide ionic liquid, the electronic conductivity can reach 3.4 × 10-3 S cm-1 with a high Coulombic efficiency of 98.2%. The areal capacity of the zinc-iodine battery can achieve 5.04 mAh cm-2 and stably operate at 3.12 mAh cm-2 for over 990 h. Besides, a laser-scribing designed flexible dual-plating-type microbattery based on a polyiodide ionic liquid cathode also exhibits stable cycling in both a single cell and 4 × 4 integrated cell, which can operate with the polarity-switching model with high stability.

Tailoring intermolecular interactions to develop a low-temperature electrolyte system consisting of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium iodide and organic solvents

Ionic liquids (ILs) exhibit remarkable properties and great tunability, which make them an attractive class of electrolyte materials for a variety of electrochemical applications. However, despite the promising progress for operating conditions at high temperatures, the development of their low-temperature viability as electrolytes is still limited due to the constrains from thermal and ion transport issues with a drastic decrease in temperature. In this study, we present a liquid electrolyte system based on a mixture of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium iodide ([BMIM][I]), γ-butyrolactone (GBL), propylene carbonate (PC), and lithium iodide (LiI) and utilize its molecular interactions to tailor its properties for extremely low-temperature sensing applications. In particular, the carbonyl group on both PC and GBL can form hydrogen bonds with the imidazolium cation, as indicated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and the extent of these interactions between ions and molecules was also characterized and quantified via proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) spectroscopy. More importantly, at the optimal ratio, the organic solvents do not have excess content to form aggregates, which may cause undesired crystallization before the glass transition. The microscopic evolutions of the systems are correlated with their bulk behaviors, leading to improvements in their thermal and transport properties. The optimized formulation of [BMIM][I]/PC/GBL/LiI showed a low glass transition temperature (T g) of -120 °C and an effectively reduced viscosity of 0.31 Pa s at -75 °C. The electrochemical stability of the electrolyte was also validated to support the targeted iodide/triiodide redox reactions without interference.

Lithium-triggered spontaneous formation of polyiodides in room-temperature ionic liquid-alcohol solutions

In this study, the effect of alcohol on polyiodide formation in room-temperature ionic liquid (RTIL) was examined by time evolutions of Raman spectra in the low-frequency region and by color changes of the sample. The RTIL was 1-methyl-3-propylimidazolium iodide, [C₃mim][I]. Polyiodides develop in [C₃mim][I]‑lithium salt-ethanol solutions (Abe et al., Chem. Phys. 502 (2018) 72.). Without the external addition of iodine or without an external electric field, the irreversible transformation from I^- to I₃^- indicates that charge unbalancing was promoted by lithium ion. Polyiodide formations were not induced by sodium or potassium ions. Strong alcohol effects were observed directly by the time-dependent Raman bands in the low-frequency region.

Glyme–Li salt equimolar molten solvates with iodide/triiodide redox anions

Room-temperature-fused Li salt solvates that exhibit ionic liquid-like behaviour can be formed using particular combinations of multidentate glymes and lithium salts bearing weakly coordinating anions, and are now deemed a subset of ionic liquids, viz. solvate ionic liquids (SILs). Herein, we report redox-active glyme–Li salt molten solvates consisting of tetraethyleneglycol ethylmethyl ether (G4Et) and lithium iodide/triiodide, [Li(G4Et)]I and [Li(G4Et)]I₃. The coordination structure of the complex ions and the thermal, transport, and electrochemical properties of these molten Li salt solvates were investigated to diagnose whether they can be categorized as SILs. [Li(G4Et)]⁺ and I₃⁻ were found to remain stable as discrete ions and exist as well-dissociated forms in the liquid state, indicating that [Li(G4Et)]I₃ can be classified as a good SIL. This study also clarified that the I⁻ and I₃⁻ counter anions exhibit an electrochemical redox reaction in the highly concentrated molten Li salt solvates. The redox-active molten Li solvates were further studied as a highly concentrated catholyte for use in rechargeable semi-liquid lithium batteries. Although the cell constructed using [Li(G4Et)]I₃ failed to charge after the initial discharge step, the cell containing [Li(G4Et)]I demonstrates reversible charge–discharge behaviour with a high volumetric energy density of 180 W h L⁻¹ based on the catholyte volume.

Redox-active glyme–Li salt equimolar molten solvates based on a I⁻/I₃⁻ couple could be employed as a highly concentrated catholyte for semi-liquid rechargeable lithium batteries.

Low-temperature and high-pressure phases of a room-temperature ionic liquid and polyiodides: 1-methyl-3-propylimidazolium iodide

Experimental results are summarized on the P–T–m diagram. In pure [C₃mim][I], amorphous phase appeared both at low-temperature and high-pressure. Stoichiometric [C₃mim][I₃] promotes crystallization, while non-stoichiometric [C₃mim][I_3.66] indicates anomalies.

Grotthuss Transport of Iodide in EMIM/I3 Ionic Crystal

Highly ionic environments can mediate unusual chemical reactions that would otherwise be considered impossible based on chemical intuition. For example, the formation of a chemical bond between two iodide anions to form a divalent polyiodide anion is seemingly prohibited due to Coulombic repulsion. Using ab initio molecular dynamics simulations, we show that in the 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium (EMIM)/I₃ ionic crystal, the reactive formation of divalent and even trivalent polyiodide anions occurs with extremely small energetic barriers, due to the electrostatic field of the ionic lattice. A practical consequence of this anomalous reactivity is that iodide anions are efficiently transported within the crystal through a "Grotthuss-exchange" mechanism involving bond-breaking and forming events. We characterize two distinct transport pathways, involving both I₄^2- and I₇^3- intermediates, with fast transport of iodide resulting from the release of an I^- anion on the opposite side of the intermediate species from the initial bond formation. The ordered cation arrangement in the crystal provides the necessary electrostatic screening for close approach of anions, suggesting a new counterintuitive approach to obtain high ionic conductivity. This new design principle could be used to develop better solid-state electrolytes for batteries, fuel cells, and supercapacitors.

Electrochromism of a bipolar reversible redox-active ferrocene–viologen linked ionic liquid

A ferrocene–viologen linked “bipolar” type redox-active ionic liquid ([FcC₁₁VC₁][TFSI]₂) was synthesized as an electrochromic (EC) material that functions without any other additives: solvents, supporting electrolytes and sacrificial agents.

Polyiodides in room-temperature ionic liquids

Polyiodides, I_m⁻, were formed in room-temperature ionic liquids (RTILs).

First-Principles Identification of Iodine Exchange Mechanism in Iodide Ionic Liquid

We investigated the microscopic mechanism of ion transport in iodide ionic liquid, using first-principles calculations. We show that the desorption barrier of polyiodides (I3(-) or I5(-)) from the cation is in a similar energy range as or higher than the barrier for the bond dissociation and ensued desorption of neutral iodine (I2). This suggests that, instead of the physical diffusion of such a negatively charged multiatomic species, the exchange of neutral iodine (I2) between the polyiodides can be an easier channel for the movement of polyiodide. For the transport of the monoiodide anion (I(-)), we suggest the contribution of the Grotthuss-type ion exchange through the intermediately formed even-member anion (I2n(-)), in addition to drift and diffusion. As a result, we suggest that, instead of the commonly cited diffusion of the triiodide/iodide (I3(-)/I(-)) redox couple, the exchange of neutral iodine (I2) and the Grotthuss-type transport (I(-)) constitute the dominant ion transport mechanism.