Peering through the Stability Window

In the December issue of Chem, Feng Pan and colleagues perform a detailed study of a super-concentrated aqueous lithium-ion battery electrolyte that more than doubles the intrinsic electrochemical window of water (2.55 V compared to 1.23 V). From molecular dynamics simulations, combined with a suite of extensive characterization methods and electrochemical measurements, the authors correlate the local atomic structure of aqueous LiNO3 electrolyte to its observed enhanced electrochemical stability. They ultimately determine that the increased energy barrier for bulk water desolvation due to super-concentration is primarily responsible.