Li-ion anodes in air-stable and hydrophobic ionic liquid-based electrolyte for safer and greener batteries

In this paper we report on the use of the ionic liquid N-butyl-N-methylpyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethansulfonyl)imide, PYR14TFSI, in combination with a graphite and silicon electrodes at room temperature. The performance of the investigated electrodes has been considered in terms of specific capacity, cycling efficiency and cycling stability. The influence of two different binders on the performance of graphite electrode has also been considered. The results show that in electrolytic solutions based on PYR14TFSI the addition of an electrolyte additive is necessary for the formation of the solid electrolyte interphase (SET). The reported results show also that the selection of the binder is important for the increase of the performance in graphite electrodes. Finally, the comparison of the performance of the investigated electrodes showed that silicon electrodes display higher compatibility with PYR14TFSI with respect to graphite electrodes. Copyright (C) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.