1
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Nachaki E, Kuroda DG. Lithium ion Speciation in Cyclic Solvents: Impact of Anion Charge Delocalization and Solvent Polarizability. J Phys Chem B 2024; 128:3408-3415. [PMID: 38546442 PMCID: PMC11017243 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.3c06872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2023] [Revised: 03/13/2024] [Accepted: 03/14/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024]
Abstract
The increasing demand for lithium batteries has triggered the search for safer and more efficient electrolytes. Insights into the atomistic description of electrolytes are critical for relating microscopic and macroscopic (physicochemical) properties. Previous studies have shown that the type of lithium salt and solvent used in the electrolyte influences its performance by dictating the speciation of the ionic components in the system. Here, we investigate the molecular origins of ion association in lithium-based electrolytes as a function of anion charge delocalization and solvent chemical identity. To this end, a family of cyano-based lithium salts in organic solvents, having a cyclic structure and containing carbonyl groups, was investigated using a combination of linear infrared spectroscopy and ab initio computations. Our results show that the formation of contact-ion pairs (CIPs) is more favorable in organic solvents containing either ester or carbonate groups and in lithium salts with an anion having low charge delocalization than in an amide/urea solvent and an anion with large charge delocalization. Ab initio computations attribute the degree of CIP formation to the energetics of the process, which is largely influenced by the chemical nature of the lithium ion solvation shell. At the molecular level, atomic charge analysis reveals that CIP formation is directly related to the ability of the solvent molecule to rearrange its electronic density upon coordination to the lithium ion. Overall, these findings emphasize the importance of local interactions in determining the nature of ion-molecule interactions and provide a molecular framework for explaining lithium ion speciation in the design of new electrolytes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ernest
O. Nachaki
- Department of Chemistry, Louisiana
State University, Baton
Rouge, Louisiana 70803, United States
| | - Daniel G. Kuroda
- Department of Chemistry, Louisiana
State University, Baton
Rouge, Louisiana 70803, United States
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2
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Koo B, Hwang S, Ahn KH, Lee C, Lee H. Low Solvating Power of Acetonitrile Facilitates Ion Conduction: A Solvation-Conductivity Riddle. J Phys Chem Lett 2024:3317-3322. [PMID: 38520384 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.4c00545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/25/2024]
Abstract
Acetonitrile (AN) electrolyte solutions display uniquely high ionic conductivities, of which the rationale remains a long-standing puzzle. This research delves into the solution species and ion conduction behavior of 0.1 and 3.0 M LiTFSI AN and propylene carbonate (PC) solutions via Raman and dielectric relaxation spectroscopies. Notably, LiTFSI-AN contains a higher fraction of free solvent uncoordinated to Li ions than LiTFSI-PC, resulting in a lower viscosity of LiTFSI-AN and facilitating a higher level of ion conduction. The abundant free solvent in LiTFSI-AN is attributed to the lower Li-solvation power of AN, but despite this lower Li-solvation power, LiTFSI-AN exhibits a level of salt dissociation comparable to that of LiTFSI-PC, which is found to be enabled by TFSI anions loosely bound to Li ions. This work challenges the conventional notion that high solvating power is a prerequisite for high-conductivity solvents, suggesting an avenue to explore optimal solvents for high-power energy storage devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bonhyeop Koo
- Department of Energy Science and Engineering, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu 42988, Republic of Korea
| | - Sunwook Hwang
- Department of Energy Science and Engineering, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu 42988, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyoung Ho Ahn
- Electrolyte Material Team, Advanced Cell Research Center, LG Energy Solution, Daejeon 34122, Republic of Korea
| | - Chulhaeng Lee
- Electrolyte Material Team, Advanced Cell Research Center, LG Energy Solution, Daejeon 34122, Republic of Korea
| | - Hochun Lee
- Department of Energy Science and Engineering, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu 42988, Republic of Korea
- Energy Science and Engineering Research Center, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu 42988, Republic of Korea
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3
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Martins ML, Lin X, Gainaru C, Keum JK, Cummings PT, Sokolov AP, Sacci RL, Mamontov E. Structure-Dynamics Interrelation Governing Charge Transport in Cosolvated Acetonitrile/LiTFSI Solutions. J Phys Chem B 2023; 127:308-320. [PMID: 36577128 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c07327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Concentrated ionic solutions present a potential improvement for liquid electrolytes. However, their conductivity is limited by high viscosities, which can be attenuated via cosolvation. This study employs a series of experiments and molecular dynamics simulations to investigate how different cosolvents influence the local structure and charge transport in concentrated lithium bis(trifluoromethane-sulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI)/acetonitrile solutions. Regardless of whether the cosolvent's dielectric constant is low (for toluene and dichloromethane), moderate (acetone), or high (methanol and water), they preserve the structural and dynamical features of the cosolvent-free precursor. However, the dissimilar effects of each case must be individually interpreted. Toluene and dichloromethane reduce the conductivity by narrowing the distribution of Li+-TFSI- interactions and increasing the activation energies for ionic motions. Methanol and water broaden the distributions of Li+-TFSI- interactions, replace acetonitrile in the Li+ solvation, and favor short-range Li+-Li+ interactions. Still, these cosolvents strongly interact with TFSI-, leading to conductivities lower than that predicted by the Nernst-Einstein relation. Finally, acetone preserves the ion-ion interactions from the cosolvent-free solution but forms large solvation complexes by joining acetonitrile in the Li+ solvation. We demonstrate that cosolvation affects conductivity beyond simply changing viscosity and provide fairly unexplored molecular-scale perspectives regarding structure/transport phenomena relation in concentrated ionic solutions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Murillo L Martins
- Department of Chemistry, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee37996, United States
| | - Xiaobo Lin
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee37235, United States
| | - Catalin Gainaru
- Chemical Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee37831, United States
| | - Jong K Keum
- Neutron Scattering Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, P.O. Box 2008 MS6455, Oak Ridge, Tennessee37831, United States.,Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge, Tennessee37831, United States
| | - Peter T Cummings
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee37235, United States
| | - Alexei P Sokolov
- Department of Chemistry, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee37996, United States.,Chemical Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee37831, United States
| | - Robert L Sacci
- Chemical Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee37831, United States
| | - Eugene Mamontov
- Neutron Scattering Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, P.O. Box 2008 MS6455, Oak Ridge, Tennessee37831, United States
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4
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Andersson R, Hernández G, Mindemark J. Quantifying the ion coordination strength in polymer electrolytes. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2022; 24:16343-16352. [PMID: 35762165 DOI: 10.1039/d2cp01904c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
In the progress of implementing solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) into batteries, fundamental understanding of the processes occurring within and in the vicinity of the SPE are required. An important but so far relatively unexplored parameter influencing the ion transport properties is the ion coordination strength. Our understanding of the coordination chemistry and its role for the ion transport is partly hampered by the scarcity of suitable methods to measure this phenomenon. Herein, two qualitative methods and one quantitative method to assess the ion coordination strength are presented, contrasted and discussed for TFSI-based salts of Li+, Na+ and Mg2+ in polyethylene oxide (PEO), poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) and poly(trimethylene carbonate) (PTMC). For the qualitative methods, the coordination strength is probed by studying the equilibrium between cation coordination to polymer ligands or solvent molecules, whereas the quantitative method studies the ion dissociation equilibrium of salts in solvent-free polymers. All methods are in agreement that regardless of cation, the strongest coordination strength is observed for PEO, while PTMC exhibits the weakest coordination strength. Considering the cations, the weakest coordination is observed for Mg2+ in all polymers, indicative of the strong ion-ion interactions in Mg(TFSI)2, whilst the coordination strength for Li+ and Na+ seems to be more influenced by the interplay between the cation charge/radius and the polymer structure. The trends observed are in excellent agreement with previously observed transference numbers, confirming the importance and its connection to the ion transport in SPEs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rassmus Andersson
- Department of Chemistry - Ångström Laboratory, Uppsala University, Box 538, SE-751 21 Uppsala, Sweden.
| | - Guiomar Hernández
- Department of Chemistry - Ångström Laboratory, Uppsala University, Box 538, SE-751 21 Uppsala, Sweden.
| | - Jonas Mindemark
- Department of Chemistry - Ångström Laboratory, Uppsala University, Box 538, SE-751 21 Uppsala, Sweden.
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5
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Dereka B, Lewis NHC, Zhang Y, Hahn NT, Keim JH, Snyder SA, Maginn EJ, Tokmakoff A. Exchange-Mediated Transport in Battery Electrolytes: Ultrafast or Ultraslow? J Am Chem Soc 2022; 144:8591-8604. [PMID: 35470669 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c00154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Understanding the mechanisms of charge transport in batteries is important for the rational design of new electrolyte formulations. Persistent questions about ion transport mechanisms in battery electrolytes are often framed in terms of vehicular diffusion by persistent ion-solvent complexes versus structural diffusion through the breaking and reformation of ion-solvent contacts, i.e., solvent exchange events. Ultrafast two-dimensional (2D) IR spectroscopy can probe exchange processes directly via the evolution of the cross-peaks on picosecond time scales. However, vibrational energy transfer in the absence of solvent exchange gives rise to the same spectral signatures, hiding the desired processes. We employ 2D IR on solvent resonances of a mixture of acetonitrile isotopologues to differentiate chemical exchange and energy-transfer dynamics in a comprehensive series of Li+, Mg2+, Zn2+, Ca2+, and Ba2+ bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide electrolytes from the dilute to the superconcentrated regime. No exchange phenomena occur within at least 100 ps, regardless of the ion identity, salt concentration, and presence of water. All of the observed spectral dynamics originate from the intermolecular energy transfer. These results place the lower experimental boundary on the ion-solvent residence times to several hundred picoseconds, much slower than previously suggested. With the help of MD simulations and conductivity measurements on the Li+ and Zn2+ systems, we discuss these results as a continuum of vehicular and structural modalities that vary with concentration and emphasize the importance of collective electrolyte motions to ion transport. These results hold broadly applicable to many battery-relevant ions and solvents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bogdan Dereka
- James Franck Institute, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States.,Department of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States.,Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States.,Joint Center for Energy Storage Research, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois 60439, United States
| | - Nicholas H C Lewis
- James Franck Institute, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States.,Department of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States.,Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States.,Joint Center for Energy Storage Research, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois 60439, United States
| | - Yong Zhang
- Joint Center for Energy Storage Research, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois 60439, United States.,Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, United States
| | - Nathan T Hahn
- Joint Center for Energy Storage Research, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois 60439, United States.,Material, Physical and Chemical Sciences Center, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185, United States
| | - Jonathan H Keim
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
| | - Scott A Snyder
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
| | - Edward J Maginn
- Joint Center for Energy Storage Research, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois 60439, United States.,Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, United States
| | - Andrei Tokmakoff
- James Franck Institute, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States.,Department of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States.,Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States.,Joint Center for Energy Storage Research, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois 60439, United States
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6
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Dereka B, Lewis NHC, Keim JH, Snyder SA, Tokmakoff A. Characterization of Acetonitrile Isotopologues as Vibrational Probes of Electrolytes. J Phys Chem B 2021; 126:278-291. [PMID: 34962409 PMCID: PMC8762666 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.1c09572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Acetonitrile has emerged as a solvent candidate for novel electrolyte formulations in metal-ion batteries and supercapacitors. It features a bright local C≡N stretch vibrational mode whose infrared (IR) signature is sensitive to battery-relevant cations (Li+, Mg2+, Zn2+, Ca2+) both in pure form and in the presence of water admixture across a full possible range of concentrations from the dilute to the superconcentrated regime. Stationary and time-resolved IR spectroscopy thus emerges as a natural tool to study site-specific intermolecular interactions from the solvent perspective without introducing an extrinsic probe that perturbs solution morphology and may not represent the intrinsic dynamics in these electrolytes. The metal-coordinated acetonitrile, water-separated metal-acetonitrile pair, and free solvent each have a distinct vibrational signature that allows their unambiguous differentiation. The IR band frequency of the metal-coordinated acetonitrile depends on the ion charge density. To study the ion transport dynamics, it is necessary to differentiate energy-transfer processes from structural interconversions in these electrolytes. Isotope labeling the solvent is a necessary prerequisite to separate these processes. We discuss the design principles and choice of the CD313CN label and characterize its vibrational spectroscopy in these electrolytes. The Fermi resonance between 13C≡N and C-D stretches complicates the spectral response but does not prevent its effective utilization. Time-resolved two-dimensional (2D) IR spectroscopy can be performed on a mixture of acetonitrile isotopologues and much can be learned about the structural dynamics of various species in these formulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bogdan Dereka
- James Franck Institute, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States.,Department of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States.,Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States.,Joint Center for Energy Storage Research, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois 60637, United States
| | - Nicholas H C Lewis
- James Franck Institute, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States.,Department of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States.,Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States.,Joint Center for Energy Storage Research, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois 60637, United States
| | - Jonathan H Keim
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
| | - Scott A Snyder
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
| | - Andrei Tokmakoff
- James Franck Institute, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States.,Department of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States.,Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States.,Joint Center for Energy Storage Research, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois 60637, United States
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