Unusual effects of solvent polarity on capacitance for organic electrolytes in a nanoporous electrode

Minimal Coarse-Grained Models of Polar Solvent for Electrolytes: Stockmayer Versus Dumbbell

This study explores the potential of the dumbbell solvent as a minimal model for understanding electrolyte solutions in polar solvents. Our investigation involves a comparative analysis of the dumbbell model and the Stockmayer model, focusing on ion solvation and ion-ion correlations. We examine electrolytes containing symmetric monovalent salts dissolved in polar solvents while varying the ion density and solvent polarity. Both models predict an augmented solvent coordination number around ions as the solvent polarity increases, with the dumbbell solvent displaying a more pronounced effect. Notably, radial distribution functions (RDFs) between solvent and ions yield differing trends; Stockmayer models exhibit a nonmonotonic relationship due to strong dipole-dipole interactions at higher polarity, while RDFs for ions and dumbbell solvents consistently rise. In response to increased solvent polarity, Stockmayer solvents within the ion's solvation shell undergo continuous dipole orientation shifts, whereas the dumbbell solvent predominantly adopts pointing-away dipole orientations, diminishing pointing-to orientations. This underscores the significance of the interplay between the solvent molecular orientation and dipole rotation. Both models qualitatively predict ion pairing and clustering behaviors across varying solvent dipole strengths and salt concentrations. The Stockmayer solvent generally provides stronger electrostatic screening than the dumbbell solvent due to its neglect of the coupling between molecular orientation and dipole rotation. What's more, at a high dipole moment regime, ion-ion correlations in Stockmayer solvent can become stronger with increasing dipole moment due to stronger solvent-solvent correlations. This study underscores the effectiveness of the dumbbell solvent model in systematically elucidating the fundamental principles governing electrolytes and offers potential applications in the rational design of electrolyte systems.

Regulating the electrical double layer to prevent water electrolysis for wet ionic liquids with cheap salts

Hydrophobic ionic liquids (ILs), broadly utilized as electrolytes, face limitations in practical applications due to their hygroscopicity, which narrows their electrochemical windows via water electrolysis. Herein, we scrutinized the impact of incorporating cheap salts on the electrochemical stability of wet hydrophobic ILs. We observed that alkali ions effectively manipulate the solvation structure of water and regulate the electrical double layer (EDL) structure by subtly adjusting the free energy distribution of water in wet ILs. Specifically, alkali ions significantly disrupted the hydrogen bond network, reducing free water, strengthening the O-H bond, and lowering water activity in bulk electrolytes. This effect was particularly pronounced in EDL regions, where most water molecules were repelled from both the cathode and anode with the disappearance of the H-bond network connectivity along the EDL. The residual interfacial water underwent reorientation, inhibiting water electrolysis and thus enhancing the electrochemical window of wet hydrophobic ILs. This theoretical proposition was confirmed by cyclic voltammetry measurements, demonstrating a 45% enhancement in the electrochemical windows for salt-in-wet ILs, approximating the dry one. This work offers feasible strategies for tuning the EDL and managing interfacial water activity, expanding the comprehension of interface engineering for advanced electrochemical systems.

Theory and Simulations of Ionic Liquids in Nanoconfinement

Room-temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) have exciting properties such as nonvolatility, large electrochemical windows, and remarkable variety, drawing much interest in energy storage, gating, electrocatalysis, tunable lubrication, and other applications. Confined RTILs appear in various situations, for instance, in pores of nanostructured electrodes of supercapacitors and batteries, as such electrodes increase the contact area with RTILs and enhance the total capacitance and stored energy, between crossed cylinders in surface force balance experiments, between a tip and a sample in atomic force microscopy, and between sliding surfaces in tribology experiments, where RTILs act as lubricants. The properties and functioning of RTILs in confinement, especially nanoconfinement, result in fascinating structural and dynamic phenomena, including layering, overscreening and crowding, nanoscale capillary freezing, quantized and electrotunable friction, and superionic state. This review offers a comprehensive analysis of the fundamental physical phenomena controlling the properties of such systems and the current state-of-the-art theoretical and simulation approaches developed for their description. We discuss these approaches sequentially by increasing atomistic complexity, paying particular attention to new physical phenomena emerging in nanoscale confinement. This review covers theoretical models, most of which are based on mapping the problems on pertinent statistical mechanics models with exact analytical solutions, allowing systematic analysis and new physical insights to develop more easily. We also describe a classical density functional theory, which offers a reliable and computationally inexpensive tool to account for some microscopic details and correlations that simplified models often fail to consider. Molecular simulations play a vital role in studying confined ionic liquids, enabling deep microscopic insights otherwise unavailable to researchers. We describe the basics of various simulation approaches and discuss their challenges and applicability to specific problems, focusing on RTIL structure in cylindrical and slit confinement and how it relates to friction and capacitive and dynamic properties of confined ions.

Microscopic Simulations of Electrochemical Double-Layer Capacitors

Electrochemical double-layer capacitors (EDLCs) are devices allowing the storage or production of electricity. They function through the adsorption of ions from an electrolyte on high-surface-area electrodes and are characterized by short charging/discharging times and long cycle-life compared to batteries. Microscopic simulations are now widely used to characterize the structural, dynamical, and adsorption properties of these devices, complementing electrochemical experiments and in situ spectroscopic analyses. In this review, we discuss the main families of simulation methods that have been developed and their application to the main family of EDLCs, which include nanoporous carbon electrodes. We focus on the adsorption of organic ions for electricity storage applications as well as aqueous systems in the context of blue energy harvesting and desalination. We finally provide perspectives for further improvement of the predictive power of simulations, in particular for future devices with complex electrode compositions.

Understanding the Electric Double-Layer Structure, Capacitance, and Charging Dynamics

Significant progress has been made in recent years in theoretical modeling of the electric double layer (EDL), a key concept in electrochemistry important for energy storage, electrocatalysis, and multitudes of other technological applications. However, major challenges remain in understanding the microscopic details of the electrochemical interface and charging mechanisms under realistic conditions. This review delves into theoretical methods to describe the equilibrium and dynamic responses of the EDL structure and capacitance for electrochemical systems commonly deployed for capacitive energy storage. Special emphasis is given to recent advances that intend to capture the nonclassical EDL behavior such as oscillatory ion distributions, polarization of nonmetallic electrodes, charge transfer, and various forms of phase transitions in the micropores of electrodes interfacing with an organic electrolyte or ionic liquid. This comprehensive analysis highlights theoretical insights into predictable relationships between materials characteristics and electrochemical performance and offers a perspective on opportunities for further development toward rational design and optimization of electrochemical systems.

Structure and Capacitance of Electrical Double Layers in Tricationic Ionic Liquids with Organic Solvents

Tricationic ionic liquid (TIL) electrolytes have been successfully employed in supercapacitors with graphene electrodes, but the low power density of the TILs-based supercapacitors caused by strong cations-anions associations requires enhancement by adding organic solvents to the liquid. In this paper, the role of the solvents acetonitrile (ACN) and ethylene carbonate (EC) on the ion diffusion, the conductivity of the TIL [C₆(mim)₃](Tf₂N)₃, and the structures and the capacitances of the electrical double layers (EDLs) in TIL/ACN and TIL/EC electrolytes were probed by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The results indicate that adding organic solvents to the liquid significantly reduces interactions between ions, thereby greatly improving the ion diffusion coefficients and the conductivity of the TIL, and the maximum conductivity is found at the 0.55 M TIL/ACN electrolyte concentration. Moreover, the reduced packing of counterions and the strong expulsion of coions near charged electrodes are observed in the organic electrolytes, especially in the TIL/EC electrolyte. Further analyses on EDLs affirm that the asymmetric camel-shaped differential capacitance-voltage (C-V) curve in the pure TIL electrolyte is weakly changed by the solvent ACN or EC. Besides, the EDL capacitance in the TIL-based hybrid electrolytes is improved slightly by the organic solvents. Comparing the integral capacitances in TIL/ACN and TIL/EC with different solvent contents, it is found that reducing the solvent polarity may be more beneficial to promote the EDL capacitance. Comprehensively, in this work, the 0.55 M TIL/ACN electrolyte is the optimal choice for the high-performance supercapacitor. Hence, solvating TIL electrolytes in supercapacitors by suitable solvents can effectively enhance the power density without compromising energy density.

Nanocage formation and structural anomalies in imidazolium ionic liquid glasses governed by alkyl chains of cations

Intriguing nanostructuring anomalies have been recently observed in imidazolium ionic liquids (ILs) near their glass transition points, where local density around a nanocaged solute progressively grows up with temperature. Herewith, we for the first time demonstrate experimentally and theoretically, that these anomalies are governed by alkyl chains of cations and crucially depend on their length. Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) spectroscopy on a series of ILs [C_nmim]BF₄ (n = 0-12) shows that only the chains with n = 3-10 favor anomaly. Moreover, remarkable even vs. odd n peculiarities were systematically observed. Finally, similar anomaly was for the first time observed for a non-IL glass of dibutyl phthalate, which structurally mimics cations of imidazolium ILs. Therefore, such anomalous density behavior in a glassy state nanocage goes far beyond ILs and proves to be a more general phenomenon, which can be structurally tuned and rationally adjusted for various potential applications in nanoscale materials.

Understanding surface charge regulation in silica nanopores

Nanoporous silica is used in a wide variety of applications, ranging from bioanalytical tools and materials for energy storage and conversion as well as separation devices. The surface charge density of nanopores is not easily measured by experiment yet plays a vital role in the performance and functioning of silica nanopores. Herein, we report a theoretical model to describe charge regulation in silica nanopores by combining the surface-reaction model and the classical density functional theory (CDFT). The theoretical predictions provide quantitative insights into the effects of pH, electrolyte concentration, and pore size on the surface charge density and electric double layer structure. With a fixed pore size, the surface charge density increases with both pH and the bulk salt concentration similar to that for an open surface. At fixed pH and salt concentration, the surface charge density rises with the pore size until it reaches the bulk asymptotic value when the surface interactions become negligible. At high pH, the surface charge density is mainly determined by the ratio of the Debye screening length to the pore size (λ_D/D).

Electric double layer formation and storing energy processes on graphene-based supercapacitors from electrical and thermodynamic perspectives

Atomistic molecular dynamics simulations were used to investigate the processes of electrical double layer formation and electrolyte confinement in graphene-based supercapacitors. For both processes, free energy calculations were used to analyze the thermodynamics involved in the electrolyte confinement and its re-arrangement in a double layer on the electrode surface. The value of the free energy of the formation of the double electric layer was related to the energy required to charge the supercapacitor, i.e., the energy density stored, and compared with values obtained using Poisson's electrostatic formalism, which is the conventionally employed approach. Both analyzes were consistent with each other, presenting compatible values for the stored energy.

Theoretical Insights into the Structures and Capacitive Performances of Confined Ionic Liquids

Room-temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) together with nano-porous electrodes are the most promising materials for supercapacitors and batteries. Many theoretical works have addressed the structures and performances of RTILs inside nanopores. However, only limited attention has been given to how the dispersion forces of RTILs influence the behavior of ions inside the slit pores. Toward this aim, we investigate the effects of various dispersion forces between ions on the macroscopic structures in nanoconfinement and the capacitance performance of supercapacitors by the classical density functional theory (CDFT). The results show that the dispersion force can significantly change the mechanism of the charging process and even the shape of differential capacitance curves. In addition, the voltage-dependent structures of RTILs with appropriate dispersion force appears in a given silt pore, which leads to extremely high capacitance and enhances the energy storage density. We hope that this work could further offer guidance for the optimizing of electrolytes for electrical double layer capacitors, like tuning the dispersion force between ions by adding/removing certain chemical groups on the cations and anions of RTILs.

Superionic liquids in conducting nanoslits: A variety of phase transitions and ensuing charging behavior

We develop a theory of charge storage in ultranarrow slitlike pores of nanostructured electrodes. Our analysis is based on the Blume-Capel model in an external field, which we solve analytically on a Bethe lattice. The obtained solutions allow us to explore the complete phase diagram of confined ionic liquids in terms of the key parameters characterizing the system, such as pore ionophilicity, interionic interaction energy, and voltage. The phase diagram includes the lines of first- and second-order, direct and re-entrant phase transitions, which are manifested by singularities in the corresponding capacitance-voltage plots. Testing our predictions experimentally requires monodisperse, conducting ultranarrow slit pores, to permit only one layer of ions, and thick pore walls, to prevent interionic interactions across the pore walls. However, some qualitative features, which distinguish the behavior of ionophilic and ionophobic pores and their underlying physics, may emerge in future experimental studies of more complex electrode structures.

Temporal-spatial-resolved mapping of the electrical double layer changes by surface plasmon resonance imaging

An electrical double layer (EDL) is a specific distribution of ions at the electrolyte/electrode interface. As EDL plays a decisive role in the interfacial physical and chemical characteristics, a comprehensive and quantitative understanding of the EDL structure and its change dynamics is important for a wide range of fields, ranging from electrochemistry, energy storage and semiconductor materials to biotechnology. In this paper, we proposed a proof of concept method for temporal- and spatial-resolved mapping of the EDL structure and its change dynamics. A potential was applied on the interface and the potential induced ion re-arrangement process was monitored by surface plasmon resonance (SPR) imaging in real time. NaCl experiments were repeated six times and the coefficient of variation of the results was 5.17%, confirming the potential-induced SPR response. Experiments with different potential excitations, ion concentrations and species were performed and results indicated that the electron density change and ion re-arrangement contributed comparably to the potential induced SPR response. Additionally, the lateral distribution of the EDL formed at the interface between NaCl solutions and an Au film coated with arrays of 11-MUA spots was mapped. This method is temporally and spatially resolved, and thus has the potential to be a promising tool for EDL studies at heterogeneous interfaces.

Active Mechanism of the Interphase Film-Forming Process for an Electrolyte Based on a Sulfolane Solvent and a Chelato-Borate Complex

Electrolytes based on sulfolane (SL) solvents and lithium bis(oxalato)borate (LiBOB) chelato-borate complexes have been reported many times for use in advanced lithium-ion batteries due to their many advantages. This study aims to clarify the active mechanism of the interphase film-forming process to optimize the properties of these batteries by experimental analysis and theoretical calculations. The results indicate that the self-repairing film-forming process during the first cycle is divided into three stages: the initial film formation with an electric field force of ∼1.80 V, the further growth of the preformation solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) film at ∼1.73 V, and the final formation of a complete SEI film at a potential below 0.7 V. Additionally, we can deduce that the decomposition of LiBOB and SL occurs throughout nearly the entire process of the formation of the SEI film. The decomposition product of BOB^- anions tends to form films with an irregular structure, whereas the decomposition product of SL is in favor of the formation of a uniform SEI film.

The effect of finite pore length on ion structure and charging

Nanoporous supercapacitors play an important role in modern energy storage systems, and their modeling is essential to predict and optimize the charging behaviour. Two classes of models have been developed that consist of finite and infinitely long pores. Here, we show that although both types of models predict qualitatively consistent results, there are important differences emerging due to the finite pore length. In particular, we find that the ion density inside a finite pore is not constant, but increases linearly from the pore entrance to the pore end, where the ions form a strongly layered structure. This hinders a direct quantitative comparison between the two models. In addition, we show that although the ion density between the electrodes changes appreciably with the applied potential, this change has a minor effect on charging. Our simulations also reveal a complex charging behaviour, which is adsorption-driven at high voltages, but it is dominated either by co-ion desorption or by adsorption of both types of ions at low voltages, depending on the ion concentration.

Design of Supercapacitor Electrodes Using Molecular Dynamics Simulations

Electric double-layer capacitors (EDLCs) are advanced electrochemical devices for energy storage and have attracted strong interest due to their outstanding properties. Rational optimization of electrode-electrolyte interactions is of vital importance to enhance device performance for practical applications. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations could provide theoretical guidelines for the optimal design of electrodes and the improvement of capacitive performances, e.g., energy density and power density. Here we discuss recent MD simulation studies on energy storage performance of electrode materials containing porous to nanostructures. The energy storage properties are related to the electrode structures, including electrode geometry and electrode modifications. Altering electrode geometry, i.e., pore size and surface topography, can influence EDL capacitance. We critically examine different types of electrode modifications, such as altering the arrangement of carbon atoms, doping heteroatoms and defects, which can change the quantum capacitance. The enhancement of power density can be achieved by the intensified ion dynamics and shortened ion pathway. Rational control of the electrode morphology helps improve the ion dynamics by decreasing the ion diffusion pathway. Tuning the surface properties (e.g., the affinity between the electrode and the ions) can affect the ion-packing phenomena. Our critical analysis helps enhance the energy and power densities of EDLCs by modulating the corresponding electrode structures and surface properties.

The effect of different organic solvents on sodium ion storage in carbon nanopores

GCMC atomistic simulation to study the coupled effects of nanoporous hard carbon and different organic solvents on Na ion storage.

Kinetic-Dominated Charging Mechanism within Representative Aqueous Electrolyte-based Electric Double-Layer Capacitors

The chemical nature of electrolytes has been demonstrated to play a pivotal role in the charge storage of electric double-layer capacitors (EDLCs), whereas primary mechanisms are still partially resolved but controversial. In this work, a systematic exploration into EDL structures and kinetics of representative aqueous electrolytes is performed with numerical simulation and experimental research. Unusually, a novel charging mechanism exclusively predominated by kinetics is recognized, going beyond traditional views of manipulating capacitances preferentially via interfacial structural variations. Specifically, strikingly distinctive EDL structures stimulated by diverse ion sizes, valences, and mixtures manifest a virtually identical EDL capacitance, where the dielectric nature of solvents attenuates ionic effects on electrolyte redistributions, in stark contradiction with solvent-free counterpart and traditional Helmholtz theory. Meanwhile, corresponding kinetics evolve conspicuously with ionic species, intimately correlated with ion-solvent interactions. The achieved mechanisms are subsequently illuminated by electrochemical measurements, highlighting the crucial interplay between ions and solvents in regulating EDLC performances.

Computational Insights into Materials and Interfaces for Capacitive Energy Storage

Supercapacitors such as electric double-layer capacitors (EDLCs) and pseudocapacitors are becoming increasingly important in the field of electrical energy storage. Theoretical study of energy storage in EDLCs focuses on solving for the electric double-layer structure in different electrode geometries and electrolyte components, which can be achieved by molecular simulations such as classical molecular dynamics (MD), classical density functional theory (classical DFT), and Monte-Carlo (MC) methods. In recent years, combining first-principles and classical simulations to investigate the carbon-based EDLCs has shed light on the importance of quantum capacitance in graphene-like 2D systems. More recently, the development of joint density functional theory (JDFT) enables self-consistent electronic-structure calculation for an electrode being solvated by an electrolyte. In contrast with the large amount of theoretical and computational effort on EDLCs, theoretical understanding of pseudocapacitance is very limited. In this review, we first introduce popular modeling methods and then focus on several important aspects of EDLCs including nanoconfinement, quantum capacitance, dielectric screening, and novel 2D electrode design; we also briefly touch upon pseudocapactive mechanism in RuO2. We summarize and conclude with an outlook for the future of materials simulation and design for capacitive energy storage.

Molecular Origin of Electric Double-Layer Capacitance at Multilayer Graphene Edges

Multilayer graphenes have been widely used as active materials for electric double-layer capacitors (EDLCs), where their numerous edges are demonstrated to play a crucial role in charge storage. In this work, the interfacial structure and capacitive behaviors of multilayer graphene edges with representative interlayer spacing are studied via molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Compared with planar graphite surfaces, edges can achieve a 2-fold increase in the specific capacitance at a wider interlayer spacing of ∼5.0 Å. Unusually, the molecular origins for achieved charge storage are predominantly attributed to the structural evolutions of solvents occurring in the double layer, going beyond the traditional views of regulating the capacitance by ion adsorption/separation. Specifically, diverse ionic distributions exhibit similar screening ability and EDLC thickness, while water molecules can counterbalance the interfacial electric fields more effectively at edge site. The as-obtained findings will be instructive in designing graphene-based EDLCs for advanced capacitive performances.

Polar-solvation classical density-functional theory for electrolyte aqueous solutions near a wall

A precise description of the structural and dielectric properties of liquid water is critical to understanding the physicochemical properties of solutes in electrolyte solutions. In this article, a mixture of ionic and dipolar hard spheres is considered to account for water crowding and polarization effects on ionic electrical double layers near a uniformly charged hard wall. As a unique feature, solvent hard spheres carrying a dipole at their centers were used to model water molecules at experimentally known concentration, molecule size, and dipolar moment. The equilibrium ionic and dipole density profiles of this electrolyte aqueous model were calculated using a polar-solvation classical density-functional theory (PSCDFT). These profiles were used to calculate the charge density distribution, water polarization, dielectric permittivity function, and mean electric potential profiles as well as differential capacitance, excess adsorptions, and wall-fluid surface tension. These results were compared with those corresponding to the pure dipolar model and unpolar primitive solvent model of electrolyte aqueous solutions to understand the role that water crowding and polarization effects play on the structural and thermodynamic properties of these systems. Overall, PSCDFT predictions are in agreement with available experimental data.

Effects of pore size and surface charge on Na ion storage in carbon nanopores

Na ion batteries (NIBs) are considered as a promising low cost and sustainable energy storage technology.

Capacitive Energy Storage: Current and Future Challenges

Capacitive energy storage devices are receiving increasing experimental and theoretical attention due to their enormous potential for energy applications. Current research in this field is focused on the improvement of both the energy and the power density of supercapacitors by optimizing the nanostructure of porous electrodes and the chemical structure/composition of the electrolytes. However, the understanding of the underlying correlations and the mechanisms of electric double layer formation near charged surfaces and inside nanoporous electrodes is complicated by the complex interplay of several molecular scale phenomena. This Perspective presents several aspects regarding the experimental and theoretical research in the field, discusses the current atomistic and molecular scale understanding of the mechanisms of energy and charge storage, and provides a brief outlook to the future developments and applications of these devices.

Non-Faradaic Energy Storage by Room Temperature Ionic Liquids in Nanoporous Electrodes

The enhancement of non-Faradaic charge and energy density stored by ionic electrolytes in nanostructured electrodes is an intriguing issue of great practical importance for energy storage in electric double layer capacitors. On the basis of extensive molecular dynamics simulations of various carbon-based nanoporous electrodes and room temperature ionic liquid (RTIL) electrolytes, we identify atomistic mechanisms and correlations between electrode/electrolyte structures that lead to capacitance enhancement. In the symmetric electrode setup with nanopores having atomically smooth walls, most RTILs showed up to 50% capacitance increase compared to infinitely wide pore. Extensive simulations using asymmetric electrodes and pores with atomically rough surfaces demonstrated that tuning of electrode nanostructure could lead to further substantial capacitance enhancement. Therefore, the capacitance in nanoporous electrodes can be increased due to a combination of two effects: (i) the screening of ionic interactions by nanopore walls upon electrolyte nanoconfinement, and (ii) the optimization of nanopore structure (volume, surface roughness) to take into account the asymmetry between cation and anion chemical structures.

Constant capacitance in nanopores of carbon monoliths

Binder-free electrodes made of carbon monoliths with narrow micropore size distributions confirm the constant surface-capacitance in the electrolyte Et₄NBF₄/acetonitrile.