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1. Optical Window to Polarity of Electrolyte Solutions

   https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28114360  

   O’Mari, Omar; Vullev, Valentine I. (June 2023, Molecules)

   Medium polarity plays a crucial role in charge-transfer processes and electrochemistry. The added supporting electrolyte in electrochemical setups, essential for attaining the needed electrical conductivity, sets challenges for estimating medium polarity. Herein, we resort to Lippert–Mataga–Ooshika (LMO) formalism for estimating the Onsager polarity of electrolyte organic solutions pertinent to electrochemical analysis. An amine derivative of 1,8-naphthalimide proves to be an appropriate photoprobe for LMO analysis. An increase in electrolyte concentration enhances the polarity of the solutions. This effect becomes especially pronounced for low-polarity solvents. Adding 100 mM tetrabutylammonium hexafluorophosphate to chloroform results in solution polarity exceeding that of neat dichloromethane and 1,2-dichloroethane. Conversely, the observed polarity enhancement that emerges upon the same electrolyte addition to solvents such as acetonitrile and N,N-dimethylformamide is hardly as dramatic. Measured refractive indices provide a means for converting Onsager to Born polarity, which is essential for analyzing medium effects on electrochemical trends. This study demonstrates a robust optical means, encompassing steady-state spectroscopy and refractometry, for characterizing solution properties important for charge-transfer science and electrochemistry. 

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2. Solid State Electrolyte to Enable Structural Supercapacitors

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3. Stabilizing electrode–electrolyte interfaces to realize high-voltage Li||LiCoO ₂ batteries by a sulfonamide-based electrolyte

   https://doi.org/10.1039/d1ee01265g  

   Xue, Weijiang; Gao, Rui; Shi, Zhe; Xiao, Xianghui; Zhang, Wenxu; Zhang, Yirui; Zhu, Yun Guang; Waluyo, Iradwikanari; Li, Yao; Hill, Megan R.; et al (November 2021, Energy & Environmental Science)

   High-voltage lithium-metal batteries (LMBs) with LiCoO 2 (LCO) as the cathode have high volumetric and gravimetric energy densities. However, it remains a challenge for stable cycling of LCO >4.5 V Li . Here we demonstrate that a rationally designed sulfonamide-based electrolyte can greatly improve the cycling stability at high voltages up to 4.7 V Li by stabilizing the electrode–electrolyte interfaces (EEIs) on both the Li-metal anode (LMA) and high-voltage LCO cathode. With the sulfonamide-based electrolyte, commercial LCO cathodes retain 89% and 85% of their capacities after 200 and 100 cycles under high charging voltages of 4.55 V Li and 4.6 V Li , respectively, significantly outperforming traditional carbonate-based electrolytes. The surface degradation, impedance growth, and detrimental side reactions in terms of gas evolution and Co dissolution are well suppressed. Our work demonstrates a promising strategy for designing new electrolytes to realize high-energy Li||LCO batteries. 

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4. Dimolybdenum Paddlewheel Complexes with Cation Binding Sites as Electrolyte Additives to Manipulate the Solid-Electrolyte Interphase at Lithium Metal Anodes

   https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.5c03254  

   Gersib, Simon G; Askins, Erik J; Li, Matthew; Subasinghe, S_M Supundrika; Behera, Biki Kumar; McElheny, Dan; Son, Seoung-Bum; Amine, Khalil; Glusac, Ksenija D; Mankad, Neal P (June 2025, ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces)
5. Mass Transport Modifies the Interfacial Electrolyte to Influence Electrochemical Nitrate Reduction

   https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.3c01057  

   Guo, Jinyu; Brimley, Paige; Liu, Matthew J.; Corson, Elizabeth R.; Muñoz, Carolina; Smith, Wilson A.; Tarpeh, William A. (May 2023, ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering)