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Title: Origin of electrochemical, structural and transport properties in non-aqueous zinc electrolytes

Journal Article · · ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces
 [1];  [2];  [2];  [1];  [3];  [1];  [1];  [2];  [1]
  1. Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Lemont, IL (United States)
  2. Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Lemont, IL (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
  3. Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Lemont, IL (United States); Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA (United States)

Through coupled experimental analysis and computational techniques, we uncover the origin of anodic stability for a range of nonaqueous zinc electrolytes. By examination of electrochemical, structural, and transport properties of nonaqueous zinc electrolytes with varying concentrations, it is demonstrated that the acetonitrile-Zn(TFSI) 2 , acetonitrile-Zn(CF 3 SO 3 ) 2 , and propylene carbonate-Zn(TFSI) 2 electrolytes can not only support highly reversible Zn deposition behavior on a Zn metal anode (≥99% of Coulombic efficiency) but also provide high anodic stability (up to ~3.8 V vs Zn/Zn 2+ ). The predicted anodic stability from DFT calculations is well in accordance with experimental results, and elucidates that the solvents play an important role in anodic stability of most electrolytes. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were used to understand the solvation structure (e.g., ion solvation and ionic association) and its effect on dynamics and transport properties (e.g., diffusion coefficient and ionic conductivity) of the electrolytes. The combination of these techniques provides unprecedented insight into the origin of the electrochemical, structural, and transport properties in nonaqueous zinc electrolytes.

Research Organization:
Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-06CH11357; AC02-05CH11231
OSTI ID:
1248374
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1454452
Journal Information:
ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, Vol. 8, Issue 5; ISSN 1944-8244
Publisher:
American Chemical Society (ACS)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 161 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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