Solvation-property relationship of lithium-sulphur battery electrolytes.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 38341443.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-023-44527-x and PMC identifier 10858963.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
The Li-S battery is a promising next-generation battery chemistry that offers high energy density and low cost. The Li-S battery has a unique chemistry with intermediate sulphur species readily solvated in electrolytes, and understanding their implications is important from both practical and fundamental perspectives. In this study, we utilise the solvation free energy of electrolytes as a metric to formulate solvation-property relationships in various electrolytes and investigate their impact on the solvated lithium polysulphides. We find that solvation free energy influences Li-S battery voltage profile, lithium polysulphide solubility, Li-S battery cyclability and the Li metal anode; weaker solvation leads to lower 1<sup>st</sup> plateau voltage, higher 2<sup>nd</sup> plateau voltage, lower lithium polysulphide solubility, and superior cyclability of Li-S full cells and Li metal anodes. We believe that relationships delineated in this study can guide the design of high-performance electrolytes for Li-S batteries.