2020 Volume 69 Issue 6 Pages 271-278
Although the Nobel Prize was awarded for the development of lithium-ion batteries, there is an urgent need to develop next-generation storage batteries with even higher energy densities for use in electric vehicles and power storages for renewable energy. Lithium-sulfur batteries are expected to be one of them. The development of electrolyte solutions plays a key role for the realization of lithium-sulfur batteries. The local structure of lithium ions in the electrolyte and the liquid structure of the electrolyte solution directly affect the battery parformance, such as the electromotive force and the charging speed. In other words, not only thermodynamics, but also kinetics the and dynamics of the electrolyte solutions dominate the battery performance. Recently, a new lithium-sulfur battery using a cathode material active insoluble electrolyte solution has been proposed, and clarifying the electrolyte solutions at the atomic and molecular level is a key. This article outlines the liquid structure, the speciation analysis and a new ionic conduction mechanism specific to the solvate ionic liquids that are the electrolyte solutions for the cathode active material insoluble a new lithium-sulfur battery.
