The Need

The market for electric vehicles is steadily increasing; as it continues to grow one problem consistently holding it back is battery capacity. For this market to expand further, methods for storing large amounts of energy safely and affordably must be developed. One approach is to create more capable li-ion batteries with increased energy densities. New electrolyte solutions are needed to handle the increased voltage requirements of such high-density batteries.

The Technology

This two-step process synthesizes new asymmetric sulfonamide salts for use as electrolytes in Li-ion batteries. The process is facile and scalable, making it appropriate for the large scale production to meet growing demand. This synthetic synthesis route is not limited to Li salts, but can be used to develop many different salts with varied functionality.

The salts themselves offer marked improvements over current electrolytes. The salts can form highly concentrated electrolytes with enhanced reductive and oxidative stability, low solvent volatility, and enhanced resistance to aluminum dissolution. These properties are due to the high concentration of the salts in solution as well as structural tuning which with more effort may further increase their effectiveness.

Commercialization

• Electric vehicles
• Battery technology

Benefits/Advantages

• Highest soluble of any current Li salts in diglyme
• Enhanced suppression of Al dissolution
• Two-step method is general and able to synthesize salts of Na⁺, K⁺, Rb⁺, and Cs⁺ as well