Review—Development of Hückel Type Anions: From Molecular Modeling to Industrial Commercialization. A Success Story

This paper reviews the battery electrolyte technologies involving Hückel-type salts as a major electrolyte component. The concept was initially proposed by M. Armand in 1995 and then explored by several research groups. In the present review studies on the optimization of the electrolyte composition starting from molecular modeling through enhancing the yield of the salt synthesis to structural characterization and electrochemical performance are described. Furthermore, the use of the optimized electrolytes in a variety of lithium-ion and post-lithium batteries is presented and discussed. Finally, the commercialization of the up to date technology by Arkema is discussed as well as the performance of the present Hückel anion based electrolytes as compared to other marketed electrolyte technologies.