Optimized Carbonate and Ester-Based Li-Ion Electrolytes

This technology can be used in portable electronics, cell phones, and electric vehicles.

To maintain high conductivity in low temperatures, electrolyte co-solvents have been designed to have a high dielectric constant, low viscosity, adequate coordination behavior, and appropriate liquid ranges and salt solubilities. Electrolytes that contain ester-based co-solvents in large proportion (>50 percent) and ethylene carbonate (EC) in small proportion (<20 percent) improve low-temperature performance in MCMB carbon-LiNiCoO₂ lithium-ion cells. These co-solvents have been demonstrated to enhance performance, especially at temperatures down to –70 °C. Low-viscosity, ester-based co-solvents were incorporated into multi-component electrolytes of the following composition: 1.0 M LiPF₆ in ethylene carbonate (EC) + ethyl methyl carbonate (EMC) + X (1:1:8 volume percent) [where X = methyl butyrate (MB), ethyl butyrate EB, methyl propionate (MP), or ethyl valerate (EV)]. These electrolyte formulations result in improved low-temperature performance of lithium-ion cells, with dramatic results at temperatures below –40 °C. [See “Ester-Based Electrolytes for Low-Temperature Li-Ion Cells,” (npo-41097) NASA Tech Briefs, Vol 29, No. 12 (December, 2005), p. 59.]