Adiponitrile-Lithium Bis(trimethylsulfonyl)imide Solutions as Alkyl Carbonate-free Electrolytes for Li4Ti5O12 (LTO)/LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 (NMC) Li-Ion Batteries

Recently, dinitriles (NC(CH2)(n)CN) and especially adiponitrile (ADN, n = 4) have attracted attention as safe electrolyte solvents owing to their chemical stability, high boiling points, high flash points, and low vapor pressure. The good solvation properties of ADN toward lithium salts and its high electrochemical stability (approximate to 6 V vs. Li/Li+) make it suitable for safer Li-ions cells without performance loss. In this study, ADN is used as a single electrolyte solvent with lithium bis(trimethylsulfonyl) imide (LiTFSI). This electrolyte allows the use of aluminium collectors as almost no corrosion occurs at voltages up to 4.2 V. The physicochemical properties of the ADN-LiTFSI electrolyte, such as salt dissolution, conductivity, and viscosity, were determined. The cycling performances of batteries using Li4Ti5O12 (LTO) as the anode and LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 (NMC) as the cathode were determined. The results indicate that LTO/NMC batteries exhibit excellent rate capabilities with a columbic efficiency close to 100 %. As an example, cells were able to reach a capacity of 165 mAhg(-1) at 0.1C and a capacity retention of more than 98% after 200 cycles at 0.5 C. In addition, electrodes analyses by SEM, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy after cycling confirming minimal surface changes of the electrodes in the studied battery system.