Electrolyte for stable cycling of rechargeable alkali metal and alkali ion batteries

1. An electrolyte, comprising:

an active salt;

a solvent comprising an ether, a carbonate, a sulfone, an aliphatic ester, a lactone, a sulfoxide, water, a flame retardant compound, a nitrile, or any combination thereof, wherein the active salt is soluble in the solvent; and

a fluorinated orthoformate, wherein the active salt has a solubility in the fluorinated orthoformate at least 10 times less than a solubility of the active salt in the solvent, and wherein a molar concentration of the active salt in the electrolyte is at least 20% less than a molar concentration of the active salt in the solvent in the absence of the fluorinated orthoformate.

2. The electrolyte of claim 1 , wherein the fluorinated orthoformate is tris(2,2,2-trifluoroethyl)orthoformate (TFEO), tris(hexafluoroisopropyl)orthoformate (THFiPO), tris(2,2-difluoroethyl)orthoformate (TDFEO), bis(2,2,2-trifluoroethyl) methyl orthoformate (BTFEMO), tris(2,2,3,3,3-pentafluoropropyl)orthoformate (TPFPO), tris(2,2,3,3-tetrafluoropropyl)orthoformate (TTPO), or any combination thereof.

3. The electrolyte of claim 1 , wherein the solvent comprises 1,2-dimethoxyethane (DME), 1,3-dioxolane (DOL), allyl ether, diethylene glycol dimethyl ether (diglyme), triethylene glycol dimethyl ether (triglyme), tetraethylene glycol dimethyl ether (tetraglyme), dimethyl carbonate (DMC), ethyl methyl carbonate (EMC), diethyl carbonate (DEC), ethylene carbonate (EC), propylene carbonate (PC), vinylene carbonate (VC), fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC), 4-vinyl-1,3-dioxolan-2-one (VEC), 4-methylene-1,3-dioxolan-2-one (MEC), 4,5-dimethylene-1,3-dioxolan-2-one, dimethyl sulfone (DMS), ethyl methyl sulfone (EMS), ethyl vinyl sulfone (EVS), tetramethylene sulfone (TMS), methyl butyrate, ethyl propionate, trimethyl phosphate, triethyl phosphate, gamma-butyrolactone, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), triallyl amine, triallyl cyanurate, triallyl isocyanurate, water, acetonitrile, or any combination thereof.

4. The electrolyte of claim 1 , wherein the solvent comprises a flame retardant compound, and the electrolyte comprises at least 5 wt % of the flame retardant compound.

5. The electrolyte of claim 1 , wherein the flame retardant compound comprises an organic phosphate, an organic phosphite, an organic phosphonate, an organic phosphoramide, a phosphazene, or any combination thereof.

6. The electrolyte of claim 5 , wherein the flame retardant compound comprises trimethyl phosphate, triethyl phosphate, tributyl phosphate, triphenyl phosphate, tris(2,2,2-trifluoroethyl) phosphate, bis(2,2,2-trifluoroethyl) methyl phosphate; trimethyl phosphite, triphenyl phosphite, tris(2,2,2-trifluoroethyl) phosphite; dimethyl methylphosphonate, diethyl ethylphosphonate, diethyl phenylphosphonate, bis(2,2,2-trifluoroethyl) methylphosphonate; hexamethylphosphoramide; hexamethoxyphosphazene, hexafluorophosphazene, or any combination thereof.

7. The electrolyte of claim 1 , wherein the active salt comprises a lithium salt or lithium salts mixture, a sodium salt or sodium salts mixture, a potassium salt or potassium salts mixture, or a magnesium salt or magnesium salts mixture.

8. The electrolyte of claim 1 , wherein the active salt comprises lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (LiFSI), lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI), lithium (fluorosulfonyl trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiFTFSI), lithium bis(pentafluoroethanesulfonyl)imide (LiBETI), lithium bis(oxalato)borate (LiBOB), LiPF 6 , LiAsF 6 , LiBF 4 , LiCF 3 SO 3 , LiClO 4 , lithium difluoro oxalato borate anion (LiDFOB), LiI, LiBr, LiCl, LiSCN, LiNO 3 , LiNO 2 , Li 2 SO 4 , sodium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (NaFSI), sodium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (NaTFSI), sodium bis(pentafluoroethanesulfonyl)imide (NaBETI), NaPF 6 , NaAsF 6 , NaBF 4 , NaCF 3 SO 3 , NaClO 4 , sodium bis(oxalato)borate (NaBOB), sodium difluoro oxalato borate anion (NaDFOB), or any combination thereof.

9. The electrolyte of claim 1 , wherein:

(i) the active salt has a molar concentration in the electrolyte within a range of from 0.1 M to 3 M;

or

(ii) the active salt has a molar concentration in the electrolyte of greater than 3 moles of active salt per liter of the solvent; or

(iii) a molar ratio of the active salt to the solvent is within a range of from 0.1 to 5; or

(iv) volumetric ratio of the solvent to the fluorinated orthoformate is within a range of from 0.25 to 4; or

(v) any combination of (i), (ii), (iii), and (iv).

10. The electrolyte of claim 1 , wherein the solvent and the fluorinated orthoformate are immiscible, the electrolyte further comprising a bridge solvent having a different composition than the solvent and a different composition than the fluorinated orthoformate, wherein the bridge solvent is miscible with the solvent and with the fluorinated orthoformate.

11. The electrolyte of claim 10 , wherein the bridge solvent comprises acetonitrile, dimethyl carbonate, diethyl carbonate, propylene carbonate, dimethyl sulfoxide, 1,3-dioxolane, 1,2-dimethoxyethane, diglyme (bis(2-methoxyethyl) ether), triglyme (triethylene glycol dimethyl ether), tetraglyme (tetraethylene glycol dimethyl ether), or any combination thereof.

12. The electrolyte of claim 1 , wherein:

the active salt is (i) LiFSI, LiTFSI, or a combination thereof, or (ii) NaFSI, NaTFSI, or a combination thereof;

the solvent comprises an ether, a flame retardant compound comprising an organic phosphate, or a combination thereof; and

the fluorinated orthoformate comprises TFEO, TDFEO, or TFEO and TDFEO.

13. A battery, comprising:

an electrolyte comprising

an active salt,

a solvent comprising an ether, a carbonate, a sulfone, an aliphatic ester, a lactone, a sulfoxide, water, a flame retardant compound, a nitrile, or any combination thereof, wherein the active salt is soluble in the solvent, and

a fluorinated orthoformate, wherein the active salt has a solubility in the fluorinated orthoformate at least 10 times less than a solubility of the active salt in the solvent, the active salt has a concentration in the electrolyte within a range of 0.1 to 3 M, and a molar concentration of the active salt in the electrolyte is at least 20% less than a molar concentration of the active salt in the solvent in the absence of the fluorinated orthoformate;

an anode comprising an alkali metal, carbon, silicon, a carbon/silicon composite, tin, or antimony, or an anode current collector in the absence of an anode; and

a cathode,

wherein the battery has a coulombic efficiency≥95%.

14. The battery of claim 13 , wherein the fluorinated orthoformate comprises tris(2,2,2-trifluoroethyl)orthoformate (TFEO), tris(hexafluoroisopropyl)orthoformate (THFiPO), tris(2,2-difluoroethyl)orthoformate (TDFEO), bis(2,2,2-trifluoroethyl) methyl orthoformate (BTFEMO), tris(2,2,3,3,3-pentafluoropropyl)orthoformate (TPFPO), tris(2,2,3,3-tetrafluoropropyl)orthoformate (TTPO), or any combination thereof.

15. The battery of claim 13 , wherein:

(i) the solvent further comprises a flame retardant compound comprising triethyl phosphate, trimethyl phosphate, or a combination thereof; or

(ii) the electrolyte comprises at least 5 wt % of the flame retardant compound; or

(iii) both (i) and (ii).

16. The battery of claim 13 , wherein:

the active salt comprises LiFSI, LiTFSI, LiFTFSI, LiBETI, LiPF 6 , LiAsF 6 , LiBF 4 , LiCF 3 SO 3 , LiClO 4 , LiBOB, LiDFOB, Lil, LiBr, LiCl, LiSCN, LiNO 3 , LiNO 2 , Li 2 SO 4 , or any combination thereof;

the solvent comprises an ether, an organic phosphate, an organic phosphite, DMC, EC, EMC, DEC, PC, MFEC, VC, FEC, DFEC, TFEC, VEC, MEC, ethylene sulfite, ethylene sulfate, EVS, water, or any combination thereof;

the fluorinated orthoformate comprises TFEO, THFiPO, TDFEO, BTFEMO, TPFPO, TTPO, or any combination thereof; and

the cathode comprises Li 1+w Ni x Mn y Co z O 2 (x+y+z+w=1, 0≤w≤0.25), LiNi x Mn y Co z O 2 (x+y+z=1), LiNi 0.8 Co 0.15 Al 0.05 O 2 , LiCoO 2 , LiNi 0.5 Mn 1.5 O 4 spinel, LiMn 2 O 4 , LiFePO 4 , Li 4-x M x Ti 5 O 12 (M=Mg, Al, Ba, Sr, or Ta; 0≤x≤1), MnO 2 , V 2 O 5 , V 6 O 13 , LiV 3 O 8 , LiM C1 x M C2 1-x PO 4 (M C1 or M C2 =Fe, Mn, Ni, Co, Cr, or Ti; 0≤x≤1), Li 3 V 2-x M 1 x (PO 4 ) 3 (M 1 =Cr, Co, Fe, Mg, Y, Ti, Nb, or Ce; 0≤x≤1), LiVPO 4 F, LiM C1 x M C2 1-x O 2 ((M C1 and M C2 independently are Fe, Mn, Ni, Co, Cr, Ti, Mg, or Al; 0≤x≤1), LiM C1 x M C2 y M C3 1-x-y O 2 ((M C1 , M C2 , and M C3 independently are Fe, Mn, Ni, Co, Cr, Ti, Mg, or Al; 0≤x≤1; 0≤y≤1), LiMn 2-y X y O 4 (X═Cr, Al, or Fe, 0≤y≤1), LiNi 0.5-y X y Mn 1.5 O 4 (X═Fe, Cr, Zn, Al, Mg, Ga, V, or Cu; 0≤y<0.5), xLi 2 MnO 3 ·(1−x)LiM C1 y M C2 z M C3 1-y-z O 2 (M C1 , M C2 , and M C3 independently are Mn, Ni, Co, Cr, Fe, or mixture thereof; x=0.3-0.5; y≤0.5; z≤0.5), Li 2 M 2 SiO 4 (M 2 =Mn, Fe, or Co), Li 2 M 2 SO 4 (M 2 =Mn, Fe, or Co), LiM 2 SO 4 F (M 2 =Fe, Mn, or Co), Li(Fe 1-y Mn y )P 2 O 7 (0≤y≤1), Cr 3 O 8 , Cr 2 O 5 , a carbon/sulfur composite, or an air electrode.

17. The battery of claim 13 , wherein:

the active salt comprises NaFSI, NaTFSI, NaBETI, NaPF 6 , NaAsF 6 , NaBF 4 , NaCF 3 SO 3 , NaClO 4 , NaBOB, NaDFOB, or any combination thereof;

the solvent comprises an ether, an organic phosphate, an organic phosphite, VC, FEC, DFEC, TFEC, VEC, MEC, EC, PC, DMC, EMC, DEC, MFEC, ethylene sulfite, ethylene sulfate, EVS, water, or any combination thereof;

the fluorinated orthoformate comprises TFEO, THFiPO, TDFEO, BTFEMO, TPFPO, TTPO, or any combination thereof; and

the cathode comprises Na x MO 2 where 0.4<x≤1, and M is a transition metal or a mixture of transition metals, NaFePO 4 , Na 2 FePO 4 F, Na 2 FeP 2 O 7 , Na 3 V 2 (PO 4 ) 3 , Na 3 V 2 (PO 4 ) 2 F 3 , NaVPO 4 F, NaVPOPOF, Na 1.5 VOPO 4 F 0.5 , NaCo 2 O 4 , NaFe 02 , a Prussian white analogue cathode, or a Prussian blue analogue cathode.

18. The battery of claim 13 , wherein the solvent and the fluorinated orthoformate are immiscible, the electrolyte further comprising a bridge solvent having a different composition than the solvent and a different composition than the fluorinated orthoformate, wherein the bridge solvent is miscible with the solvent and with the fluorinated orthoformate.

19. The electrolyte of claim 1 , wherein:

the active salt comprises LiFSI;

the solvent comprises DME; and

the fluorinated orthoformate comprises TFEO, wherein a molar ratio of the solvent to the fluorinated orthoformate is within a range of from 0.2 to 2.