Unveiling the Impact of the Cations and Anions in Ionic Liquid/Glyme Hybrid Electrolytes for Na-O2 Batteries

Building Stable Anodes for High-Rate Na-Metal Batteries

Due to low cost and high energy density, sodium metal batteries (SMBs) have attracted growing interest, with great potential to power future electric vehicles (EVs) and mobile electronics, which require rapid charge/discharge capability. However, the development of high-rate SMBs has been impeded by the sluggish Na+ ion kinetics, particularly at the sodium metal anode (SMA). The high-rate operation severely threatens the SMA stability, due to the unstable solid-electrolyte interface (SEI), the Na dendrite growth, and large volume changes during Na plating-stripping cycles, leading to rapid electrochemical performance degradations. This review surveys key challenges faced by high-rate SMAs, and highlights representative stabilization strategies, including the general modification of SMB components (including the host, Na metal surface, electrolyte, separator, and cathode), and emerging solutions with the development of solid-state SMBs and liquid metal anodes; the working principle, performance, and application of these strategies are elaborated, to reduce the Na nucleation energy barriers and promote Na+ ion transfer kinetics for stable high-rate Na metal anodes. This review will inspire further efforts to stabilize SMAs and other metal (e.g., Li, K, Mg, Zn) anodes, promoting high-rate applications of high-energy metal batteries towards a more sustainable society.

Bio-based ether solvent and ionic liquid electrolyte for sustainable sodium-air batteries

Sodium-air batteries (SABs) are receiving considerable attention for the development of next generation battery alternatives due to their high theoretical energy density (up to 1105 W h kg-1). However, most of the studies on this technology are still based on organic solvents; in particular, diglyme, which is highly flammable and toxic for the unborn child. To overcome these safety issues, this research investigates the first use of a branched ether solvent 1,2,3-trimethoxypropane (TMP) as an alternative electrolyte to diglyme for SABs. Through this work, the reactivity of the central tertiary carbon in TMP towards bare sodium metal was identified, while the addition of N-butyl-N-methylpyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ([C4mpyr][TFSI]) as a co-solvent proved to be an effective strategy to limit the reactivity. Moreover, a Na-β-alumina disk was employed for anode protection, to separate the TMP-based electrolyte from the sodium metal. The new cell design resulted in improved cell performance: discharge capacities of up to 1.92 and 2.31 mA h cm-2 were achieved for the 16.6 mol% NaTFSI in TMP and 16.6 mol% NaTFSI in TMP/[C4mpyr][TFSI] compositions, respectively. By means of SEM, Raman and 23Na NMR techniques, NaO2 cubes were identified to be the major discharge product for both electrolyte compositions. Moreover, the hybrid electrolyte was shown to hinder the formation of side-products during discharge - the ratio of NaO2 to side-products in the hybrid electrolyte was 2.4 compared with 0.8 for the TMP-based electrolyte - and a different charge mechanism for the dissolution of NaO2 cubes for each electrolyte was observed. The findings of this work demonstrate the high potential of TMP as a base solvent for SABs, and the importance of careful electrolyte composition design in order to step towards greener and less toxic batteries.

Energy Applications of Ionic Liquids: Recent Developments and Future Prospects

Ionic liquids (ILs) consisting entirely of ions exhibit many fascinating and tunable properties, making them promising functional materials for a large number of energy-related applications. For example, ILs have been employed as electrolytes for electrochemical energy storage and conversion, as heat transfer fluids and phase-change materials for thermal energy transfer and storage, as solvents and/or catalysts for CO2 capture, CO2 conversion, biomass treatment and biofuel extraction, and as high-energy propellants for aerospace applications. This paper provides an extensive overview on the various energy applications of ILs and offers some thinking and viewpoints on the current challenges and emerging opportunities in each area. The basic fundamentals (structures and properties) of ILs are first introduced. Then, motivations and successful applications of ILs in the energy field are concisely outlined. Later, a detailed review of recent representative works in each area is provided. For each application, the role of ILs and their associated benefits are elaborated. Research trends and insights into the selection of ILs to achieve improved performance are analyzed as well. Challenges and future opportunities are pointed out before the paper is concluded.

Cation effect on ionic liquid-involved polymer electrolytes for solid-state lithium metal batteries

The effect of ionic liquids with varied cations on the electrochemical performance of Li/LiFePO4 batteries is investigated in terms of cationic solvation.