Catholytes for solid state rechargeable batteries, battery architectures suitable for use with these catholytes, and methods of making and using the same

1. An electrochemical cell, comprising:

a lithium metal negative electrode;

a solid separator in direct contact with the lithium metal negative electrode, wherein the solid separator is a thin film and has a film thickness of about 10 nm to about 100 μm; and

a positive electrode,

wherein the positive electrode comprises:

an active material; and

a catholyte,

wherein the catholyte comprises:

a catholyte solvent; and

a lithium salt; and

wherein the catholyte solvent comprises:

(a) a nitrile solvent, a dinitrile solvent, an organic sulfur-including solvent, or combinations thereof; and

(b) a member selected from the group consisting of methylene methanedisulfonate (MMDS), methyl pivalate, 1,2 dioxane, sulfolane, and combinations thereof.

2. The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the catholyte solvent comprises a solvent selected from the group consisting of a nitrile solvent, a dinitrile solvent, and a combination thereof.

3. The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the lithium metal negative electrode is a layer laminated to the solid separator; and wherein the solid separator is a layer laminated to the positive electrode.

4. The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the solid separator is impermeable to the catholyte.

5. The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , further comprising a bonding layer between the positive electrode and the solid separator.

6. The electrochemical cell of claim 5 , wherein the bonding layer comprises a solvent and a lithium salt;

wherein the solvent in the bonding layer is selected from the group consisting of ethylene carbonate, methylene carbonate, methyl ethyl carbonate, and diethylene carbonate;

wherein the lithium salt is selected from LiPF 6 , LiBOB, LiBETI, LiTFSi, LiBF 4 , LiClO 4 , LiAsF 6 , LiFSI, LiI, and a combination thereof.

7. The electrochemical cell of claim 6 , wherein the bonding layer further comprises a polymer selected from the group consisting of polyacrylonitrile (PAN), polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene oxide (PEO), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP), polyethylene oxide poly(allyl glycidyl ether) PEO-AGE, polyethylene oxide 2-(methoxyethoxy)ethyl glycidyl ether (PEO-MEEGE), polyethylene oxide 2-(methoxyethoxy)ethyl glycidyl poly(allyl glycidyl ether) (PEO-MEEGE-AGE), polysiloxane, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVdF), polyvinylidene fluoride hexafluoropropylene (PVdF-HFP), rubbers, nitrile rubber (NPR), styrene-butadiene-rubber (SBR), polybutadiene polymer, polybutadiene rubber (PB), polyisobutadiene rubber (PIB), polyisoprene rubber (PI), polychloroprene rubber (CR), acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber (NBR), polyethyl acrylate (PEA), and combinations thereof.

8. The electrochemical cell of claim 5 , wherein the solvent in the bonding layer is selected from ethylene carbonate (EC), diethylene carbonate, diethyl carbonate, dimethyl carbonate (DMC), ethyl-methyl carbonate (EMC), tetrahydrofuran (THF), γ-Butyrolactone (GBL), fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC), fluoromethyl ethylene carbonate (FMEC), trifluoroethyl methyl carbonate (F-EMC), fluorinated 3-(1,1,2,2-tetrafluoroethoxy)-1,1,2,2-tetrafluoropropane (i.e., 1,1,2,2-Tetrafluoro-3-(1,1,2,2-tetrafluoroethoxy)propane, F-EPE), fluorinated cyclic carbonate (F-AEC), propylene carbonate (PC), dioxolane, acetonitrile (ACN), succinonitrile, adiponitrile, hexanedinitrile, a mixture of adiponitrile and hexanedinitrile, pentanedinitrile, acetophenone, isophorone, benzonitrile, dimethyl sulfate, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), ethyl acetate, methyl butyrate, dimethyl ether (DME), diethyl ether, propylene carbonate, dioxolane, glutaronitrile, and combinations thereof.

9. The electrochemical cell of claim 5 , wherein the solvent in the bonding layer is a 1:1 w/w mixture of EC:PC.

10. The electrochemical cell of claim 5 , wherein the lithium salt in the bonding layer is selected from LiPF 6 , LiBOB, LiFTSi, and combinations thereof.

11. The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the solid separator is selected from a lithium sulfide, a lithium borohydride, a LiPON, a lithium-stuffed garnet, a lithium-rich antiperovskite, a LISICON, and a combination thereof.

12. The electrochemical cell of claim 11 , wherein the solid separator is an oxide selected from a lithium-stuffed garnet characterized by the formula Li x La y -Zr z O t .qAl 2 O 3 , wherein 4<x<10, 1<y<4, 1<z<3, 6<t<14, 0≤q≤1.

13. The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the catholyte solvent is a solvent having a HOMO level of more than 7.2 eV below the vacuum level and up to 11.5 eV below the vacuum level.

14. The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the catholyte solvent comprises a solvent selected from acetonitrile, methoxyacetonitrile, butyronitrile, benzonitrile, hexanenitrile, fluoroacetonitrile, nitroacetonitrile, ethoxyacetonitrile, pentanenitrile, propanenitrile, malononitrile, iso-butyronitrile, and combinations thereof.

15. The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the catholyte further comprises a solvent selected from ethylene carbonate (EC), diethylene carbonate, diethyl carbonate, dimethyl carbonate (DMC), ethyl-methyl carbonate (EMC), tetrahydrofuran (THF), γ-Butyrolactone (GBL), fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC), fluoromethyl ethylene carbonate (FMEC), trifluoroethyl methyl carbonate (F-EMC), fluorinated 3-(1,1,2,2-tetrafluoroethoxy)-1,1,2,2-tetrafluoropropane (i.e., 1,1,2,2-tetrafluoro-3-(1,1,2,2-tetrafluoroethoxy)propane (F-EPE)), fluorinated cyclic carbonate (F-AEC), propylene carbonate (PC), dioxolane, acetonitrile (ACN), succinonitrile, adiponitrile, hexanedinitrile, pentanedinitrile, acetophenone, isophorone, benzonitrile, dimethyl sulfate, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), ethyl acetate, methyl butyrate, dimethyl ether (DME), diethyl ether, dioxolane, glutaronitrile, and combinations thereof.

16. The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the catholyte solvent has a stability window up to 4.7 V v. Lithium.

17. The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the catholyte solvent comprises a nitrile represented by Formula (I):

wherein:

R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , and R 4 are, independently in each instance, selected from —CN, —NO 2 , —CO 2 , —SO 4 , —SO 3 , —SO 2 , —CH 2 —SO 3 , —CHF—SO 3 , —CF 2 —SO 3 , —H, —F, —Cl, —Br, and —I; and

wherein subscript m is an integer from 1 to 1000.

18. The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the catholyte solvent comprises a nitrile is selected from the following nitriles:

and combinations thereof.

19. The electrochemical cell of claim 1 , wherein the solid separator comprises:

a lithium-stuffed garnet oxide characterized by the formula Li u La v Zr x O y .zAl 2 O 3 , wherein

u is a rational number from 4 to 8;

v is a rational number from 2 to 4;

x is a rational number from 1 to 3;

y is a rational number from 10 to 14; and

z is a rational number from 0.05 to 1;

wherein u, v, x, y, and z are selected so that the lithium-stuffed garnet oxide is charge neutral.

20. The electrochemical cell of claim 7 , wherein the polyethylene is low density linear polyethylene.

21. The electrochemical cell of claim 7 , wherein the rubbers are ethylene propylene (EPR).