Fluorine and Lithium: Ideal Partners for High-Performance Rechargeable Battery Electrolytes

Further enhancement in the energy densities of rechargeable lithium batteries calls for novel cell chemistry with advanced electrode materials that are compatible with suitable electrolytes without compromising the overall performance and safety, especially when considering high-voltage applications. Significant advancements in cell chemistry based on traditional organic carbonate-based electrolytes may be successfully achieved by introducing fluorine into the salt, solvent/cosolvent, or functional additive structure. The combination of the benefits from different constituents enables optimization of the electrolyte and battery chemistry toward specific, targeted applications. This Review aims to highlight key research activities and technical developments of fluorine-based materials for aprotic non-aqueous solvent-based electrolytes and their components along with the related ongoing scientific challenges and limitations. Ionic liquid-based electrolytes containing fluorine will not be considered in this Review.

Pentacoordinate silicon(IV): cationic, anionic and neutral complexes derived from the reaction of NHC→SiCl4 with highly Lewis acidic (C2F5)2SiH2

Addition of NHC→SiCl4 to the highly Lewis acidic bis(pentafluoroethyl)silane ((C2F5)2SiH2) afforded the salt [(NHC)2SiCl2H][(C2F5)2SiCl3] with pentacoordinate silicon in the cation and the anion. The anion represents the first example of a chlorosilicate structurally characterized in the solid state. In this reaction, the long sought pentacoordinate NHC-adduct of silicochloroform was identified as an intermediate and its crystal structure is presented.