Influence of Solvent System on the Electrochemical Properties of a closo-Borate Electrolyte Salt

Abstract

In this study, the use of a closo-borate salt as an electrolyte for lithium-ion batteries (LIB) was evaluated in a series of solvent systems. The lithium closo-borate salts are a unique class of halogen-free salts that have the potential to offer some advantages over the halogenated salts currently employed in commercially available LIB due to their chemical and thermal stability. To evaluate this concept, three different solvent systems were prepared with a lithium closo-borate salt to make a liquid electrolyte (propylene carbonate, ethylene carbonate:dimethyl carbonate, and 1-Butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide). The closo-borate containing electrolytes were then compared by utilizing them with three different electroactive electrode materials. Their cycle stability and performance at various charge/discharge rates was also investigated. Based on the symmetrical cell and galvanostaic cycling studies it was determined that the carbonate based liquid electrolytes performed better than the ionic liquid electrolyte. This work demonstrates that halogen free closo-borate salts are interesting candidates and worthy of further investigation as lithium salts for LIB.