Entropy-Driven Hybrid Gel Electrolyte Enables Practical High-Voltage Lithium Metal Batteries.

Electrolyte engineering plays a crucial role in enhancing the performance of lithium metal batteries (LMBs) featuring high-voltage cathodes and limited lithium anodes, thereby unlocking their potential for high-energy electrochemical storage. Herein, an entropy-driven hybrid gel electrolyte with enhanced diversity in Li-ion solvation structures is designed by incorporating substantial amounts of insoluble LiPO2F2 and LiNO3 salts into LiPF6-based carbonate electrolytes, followed by in situ thermal polymerization. Specifically, the Li+ solvation structures are modulated via ionophilic NO3- and PO2F2- to generate an anion-rich solvation sheath and thus promote anion reduction at the electrode-electrolyte interface. The interfaces enriched in anion-derived inorganic components facilitate rapid ionic transport, thus enabling smooth and dense Li morphology and ultimately enhancing the electrochemical performance of LMBs. As a result, this high-hybrid gel electrolyte confers LMBs employing high-voltage NCM cathodes, as demonstrated by sustained performance in both coin-cell (500 cycles at 4.5 V) and Ah-level pouch cell configurations under practical conditions (60 cycles, N/P: 1.92, and E/C: 2.0 g Ah -1).

Crosslinked solubilizer enables nitrate-enriched carbonate polymer electrolytes for stable, high-voltage lithium metal batteries.

High-voltage lithium metal batteries (LMBs) have been considered promising next-generation high-energy-density batteries. However, commercial carbonate electrolytes can scarcely be employed in LMBs owing to their poor compatibility with metallic lithium. N,N-dimethylacrylamide (DMAA)-a crosslinkable solubilizer with a high Gutmann donor number-is employed to facilitate the dissolution of insoluble lithium nitrate (LiNO3) in carbonate-based electrolytes and to form gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs) through in situ polymerization. The Li+ solvation structure of the GPEs is regulated using LiNO3 and DMAA, which suppresses the decomposition of LiPF6 and facilitates the formation of an inorganic-rich solid electrolyte interface. Consequently, the Coulombic efficiency (CE) of the Li||Cu cell assembled with a GPE increases to 98.5% at room temperature, and the high-voltage Li||NCM622 cell achieves a capacity retention of 80.1% with a high CE of 99.5% after 400 cycles. The bifunctional polymer electrolytes are anticipated to pave the way for next-generation high-voltage LMBs.

Isoprene Polymerization: Catalytic Performance of Iminopyridine Vanadium(III) Chloride versus Vanadium(III) Chloride.

A series of vanadium complexes bearing iminopyridine bidentate ligands with various electronic and steric properties: V1 [CH2Ph], V2 [CMe2CH2CMe3], V3 [Ph] and V4 [2,6-iPr2Ph] were prepared and characterized by IR spectroscopy and microanalytical analysis. The catalytic capacity of all the complexes has been investigated for isoprene polymerization and was controlled by tuning the ligand structure with different N-alkyl and N-aryl groups. Activated by methylaluminoxane (MAO), the aryl-substituted complex V3 [Ph] exhibited high cis-1,4 selectivity (75%), and the resultant polymers had high molecular weights (Mn = 6.6 × 104) and narrow molecular weight distributions (PDI = 2.3). This catalyst showed high activity up to 734.4 kg polymer (mol V)-1 h-1 with excellent thermostability even stable at 70 °C. Compared to the traditional VCl3/MAO catalytic system, iminopyridine-supported V(III) catalysts displayed higher catalytic activities and changed the selectivity of monomer enchainment from trans-1,4 to cis-1,4.

Synthesis and characterization of aminopyridine iron(ii) chloride catalysts for isoprene polymerization: sterically controlled monomer enchainment.

In this study, a series of 2-R-6-(1-(alkylamino)methyl)pyridine-iron complexes [alkyl: (CPh3) Fe1H; (CHPh2) Fe2H; (CHPh2) Fe3Me; (CHMePh) Fe4H; (CH2Ph) Fe5H; (CHMe2) Fe6H; (C6H11) Fe7H; (CH2(4-OMe)Ph) Fe8H; (CH2(4-CF3)Ph) Fe9H; (CH2(2,4,6-Me3)Ph) Fe10H; (CH2Ph) Fe11Me] were synthesized and well characterized by ATR-IR spectroscopy, HRMS spectroscopy and elemental analysis. In addition, Fe3Me, Fe4H, Fe7H and Fe11Me were characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis: Fe3Me and Fe11Me adopted distorted tetrahedral geometries in the solid state while Fe4H and Fe7H were found in dimeric or polymeric forms respectively in which chlorides acted as bridging ligands. The catalytic capacities of these iron complexes were investigated for isoprene polymerization. Upon activation with a MAO cocatalyst, the catalytic activities of complexes varied as a function of the steric and electronic influences of substituents. In general, the catalysts bearing the least steric groups and electron-withdrawing groups exhibited relatively high activities. An outstanding activity of 190.6 × 104 g·mol-1·h-1 was obtained by Fe5H [CH2Ph]. Moreover, changes in the steric hindrance around the metal center showed a notable effect on the selectivity of monomer enchainment. In particular, most of the polymers obtained by these complexes bearing flexible frameworks were in favor of 3,4-enchainment.

Influences of Fluorine Substituents on Iminopyridine Fe(II)- and Co(II)-Catalyzed Isoprene Polymerization.

A series of iminopyridine complexes of Fe(II) and Co(II) complexes bearing fluorinated aryl substituents were synthesized for the polymerization of isoprene. The structures of complexes 3a, 2b and 3b were determined by X-ray diffraction analysis. Complex 3a contained two iminopyridine ligands coordinated to the iron metal center forming an octahedral geometry, whereas 2b adopted a chloro-bridged dimer, and 3b featured with two patterns of cobalt centers bridged via chlorine atoms. Complexes 2b and 3b represented rare examples of chlorine bridged bimetallic Co(II) complexes. The fluorine substituents effects, particularly on catalytic activity and polymer properties such as molecular weight and regio-/stereo-selectivity were investigated when these complexes were employed for isoprene polymerization. Among the Fe(II)/methylaluminoxane (MAO) systems, the 4-CF3 substituted iminopyridine Fe(II) complex 1a was found as a highly active isoprene polymerization catalyst exhibiting the highest activity of 106 g·(mol of Fe)-1·h-1. The resultant polymer displayed lower molecular weight (Mn = 3.5 × 104 g/mol) and moderate polydispersity index (PDI = 2.1). Furthermore, the ratio of cis-1,4-/3,4 was not affected by the F substituents. In the series of Co(II)/AlEt2Cl binary systems, complexes containing electron-withdrawing N-aryl substituents (R = 4-CF3, 2,6-2F) afforded higher molecular weights polyisoprene than that was obtained by the complex containing electron-donating N-alkyl substituents (R = octyl). However, ternary components system, complex/MAO/[Ph3C][B(C6F5)4] resulted in low molecular weight polyisoprene (Mn < 2000) with high trans-1,4-unit (>95%).