Communication—Solvate Ionic Liquid Incorporating Lithium Nitrate as a Redox Mediator for Lithium-Oxygen Batteries

Abstract

A solvate ionic liquid (SIL) of highly concentrated 4.0 M lithium nitrate (LiNO3) in a dimethylsulfoxide solution is introduced for lithium-oxygen batteries. As a redox mediator (RM), highly concentrated LiNO3 in the SIL works more effectively than the lower concentrated one to decompose lithium peroxide (Li2O2) on the cathode with an extremely low charging voltage of 3.6 V. In addition, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis confirms that side products during discharging and charging are markedly restricted in the SIL. The low solubility of Li2O2 intermediate (LiO2) in the SIL may be an important reason for the restriction of side products.