skip to main content
US FlagAn official website of the United States government
dot gov icon
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
https lock icon
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Explore Research Products in the PAR
It may take a few hours for recently added research products to appear in PAR search results.


  • NSF Public Access
  • Search Results
  • Introduction to the Chemistry of Alternative Battery Technologies: Survey of Liquid Electrolytes in Next Generation, Fluoride-Ion Batteries
Title: Introduction to the Chemistry of Alternative Battery Technologies: Survey of Liquid Electrolytes in Next Generation, Fluoride-Ion Batteries
Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are central in modern life, where they are found in products from smartphones to laptops to electric vehicles. The demand for efficient and sustainable batteries is higher than ever, with the predicted depletion of lithium sources after 2050 [1-3]. As an alternative to LIBs, next-generation fluoride-ion batteries (FIBs) are now being studied since fluorine is more abundant than lithium. While the majority of FIBs reported use solid electrolytes, liquid electrolytes are of interest for room-temperature applications and they are the focus of this article. This article begins by providing a concise background on specific concepts of battery chemistry that can be used as a basis to expand micro/nanotechnology education curricula to include alternative battery technologies. Key points on defining battery components, battery capacity, and redox reactions at play (including differences between redox reactions in LIBs vs FIBs) are presented. A survey on recent developments of liquid electrolytes in FIBs is derived, where three chemical strategies for designing liquid electrolytes for FIB are determined. This analysis of FIB liquid electrolytes studied so far provides a perspective to holistically improve room-temperature FIBs by tailoring the anode, cathode, and electrolyte combination. Ultimately, the survey of literature developed in the article can have an exemplary role in bibliographic research on alternative battery technologies for students in secondary, two-year, or four-year higher education institutions.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
2000281
PAR ID:
10497330
Author(s) / Creator(s):
;
Publisher / Repository:
Zenodo
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Journal of advanced technological education
Volume:
2
Issue:
2
ISSN:
2832-9635
Page Range / eLocation ID:
78-90
Subject(s) / Keyword(s):
chemical education lithium batteries fluoride batteries electrolytes
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; et al (, Journal of the American Chemical Society)
    Beyond lithium-ion technologies, lithium−sulfur batteries stand out because of their multielectron redox reactions and high theoretical specific energy (2500 Wh kg−1). However, the intrinsic irreversible transformation of soluble lithium polysulfides to solid short-chain sulfur species (Li2S2 and Li2S) and the associated large volume change of electrode materials significantly impair the long-term stability of the battery. Here we present a liquid sulfur electrode consisting of lithium thiophosphate complexes dissolved in organic solvents that enable the bonding and storage of discharge reaction products without precipitation. Insights garnered from coupled spectroscopic and density functional theory studies guide the complex molecular design, complexation mechanism, and associated electrochemical reaction mechanism. With the novel complexes as cathode materials, high specific capacity (1425 mAh g−1 at 0.2 C) and excellent cycling stability (80% retention after 400 cycles at 0.5 C) are achieved at room temperature. Moreover, the highly reversible all-liquid electrochemical conversion enables excellent low temperature battery operability (>400 mAh g−1 at −40 °C and >200 mAh g−1 at −60 °C). This work opens new avenues to design and tailor the sulfur electrode for enhanced electrochemical performance across a wide operating temperature range. 
    more » « less
  2. ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; et al (, Advanced Energy Materials)
    Abstract Understanding the behavior of lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs) under extreme conditions, for example, low temperature, is key to broad adoption of LIBs in various application scenarios. LIBs, poor performance at low temperatures is often attributed to the inferior lithium‐ion transport in the electrolyte, which has motivated new electrolyte development as well as the battery preheating approach that is popular in electric vehicles. A significant irrevocable capacity loss, however, is not resolved by these measures nor well understood. Herein, multiphase, multiscale chemomechanical behaviors in composite LiNixMnyCozO2(NMC,x +y +z = 1) cathodes at extremely low temperatures are systematically elucidated. The low‐temperature storage of LIBs can result in irreversible structural damage in active electrodes, which can negatively impact the subsequent battery cycling performance at ambient temperature. Beside developing electrolytes that have stable performance, designing batteries for use in a wide temperature range also calls for the development of electrode components that are structurally and morphologically robust when the cell is switched between different temperatures. 
    more » « less
  3. ; ; (, MRS Bulletin)
    Solid inorganic and polymeric electrolytes have the potential to enable rechargeable batteries with higher energy densities, compared to current lithium-ion technology, which uses liquid electrolyte. Inorganic materials such as ceramics and glasses conduct lithium ions well, but they are brittle, which makes incorporation into a battery difficult. Polymers have the flexibility for facile use in a battery, but their transport properties tend to be inferior to inorganics. Thus, there is growing interest in composite electrolytes with inorganic and organic phases in intimate contact. This article begins with a discussion of ion transport in single-phase electrolytes. A dimensionless number (the Newman number) is presented for quantifying the efficacy of electrolytes. An effective medium framework for predicting transport properties of composite electrolytes containing only one conducting phase is then presented. The opportunities and challenges presented by composite electrolytes containing two conducting phases are addressed. Finally, the importance and status of reaction kinetics at the interfaces between solid electrolytes and electrodes are covered, using a lithium-metal electrode as an example. 
    more » « less
  4. ; (, ECS Meeting Abstracts)
    All-solid-state lithium ion batteries replace the traditional liquid electrolyte with a conductive solid polymer electrolyte. Replacing the liquid electrolyte in batteries has the potential to improve safe use of batteries without the need for hermetic sealing, extending the operating temperature range, and extending the lifetime of the battery. However, solid polymer electrolytes often have non-competitive conductivity compared to liquid electrolytes. Improving the conductivity of solid polymer electrolytes based on an understanding of structure-property relationships is not yet well understood, but it is believed to depend heavily on the localized segmental motion of polymer chains. This work attempts to describe the role of polymer segmental motion on lithium ion transport through the synthesis and characterization of phosphonium ionenes that include poly(ethylene oxide) “soft” segments. Synthetically, these segmented polymers offer an opportunity to systematically control the segmental motion of polymer chains (i.e. glass transition temperature) through control of PEO incorporation. Prepared by step-growth polymerization, these segmented phosphonium ionenes achieve molecular weights up to 40,000 g/mol. Also, the degradation and glass transition temperatures are dependent on the percent incorporation of PEO as determined by thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry, respectively. The ability to influence the physical properties of this unique class of polyelectrolyte provides a unique opportunity to systematically probe the impact of glass transition temperature on the ion transport properties of solid polymer electrolytes in lithium ion batteries. Our initial results from electrochemical impedance as well as the charge/discharge performance of these novel solid polymer electrolytes in coin cell battery assemblies will also be presented. 
    more » « less
  5. ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; (, Small Methods)
    Abstract Lithium‐ion and sodium‐ion batteries (LIBs and SIBs) are crucial in our shift toward sustainable technologies. In this work, the potential of layered boride materials (MoAlB and Mo2AlB2) as novel, high‐performance electrode materials for LIBs and SIBs, is explored. It is discovered that Mo2AlB2shows a higher specific capacity than MoAlB when used as an electrode material for LIBs, with a specific capacity of 593 mAh g−1achieved after 500 cycles at 200 mA g−1. It is also found that surface redox reactions are responsible for Li storage in Mo2AlB2, instead of intercalation or conversion. Moreover, the sodium hydroxide treatment of MoAlB leads to a porous morphology and higher specific capacities exceeding that of pristine MoAlB. When tested in SIBs, Mo2AlB2exhibits a specific capacity of 150 mAh g−1at 20 mA g−1. These findings suggest that layered borides have potential as electrode materials for both LIBs and SIBs, and highlight the importance of surface redox reactions in Li storage mechanisms. 
    more » « less
  • Citation Formats
  • MLA
  • APA
  • Chicago
  • BibTeX
  • Save / Share this Record
  • Send to Email