There is, I think, something ethereal about i —the square root of minus one. I remember first hearing about it at school. It seemed an odd beast at that time—an intruder hovering on the edge of reality.

Usually familiarity dulls this sense of the bizarre, but in the case of i it was the reverse: over the years the sense of its surreal nature intensified. It seemed that it was impossible to write mathematics that described the real world in …

I and i

Electrolytes and interphases in Li-ion batteries and beyond.

The nonaqueous rechargeable lithium–O2 battery containing an alkyl carbonate electrolyte discharges by formation of C3H6(OCO2Li)2, Li2CO3, HCO2Li, CH3CO2Li, CO2, and H2O at the cathode, due to electrolyte decomposition. Charging involves oxidation of C3H6(OCO2Li)2, Li2CO3, HCO2Li, CH3CO2Li accompanied by CO2 and H2O evolution. Mechanisms are proposed for the reactions on discharge and charge. The different pathways for discharge and charge are consistent with the widely observed voltage gap in Li–O2 cells. Oxidation of C3H6(OCO2Li)2 involves terminal carbonate groups leaving behind the OC3H6O moiety that reacts to form a thick gel on the Li anode. Li2CO3, HCO2Li, CH3CO2Li, and C3H6(OCO2Li)2 accumulate in the cathode on cycling correlating with capacity fading and cell failure. The latter is compounded by continuous consumption of the electrolyte on each discharge.

Reactions in the Rechargeable Lithium–O2 Battery with Alkyl Carbonate Electrolytes

Ceramic and polymeric solid electrolytes for lithium-ion batteries

Organic Carbonates as Solvents in Synthesis and Catalysis

Impedance studies on plasticized PMMA-LiX [X: CF3SO3−, N(CF3SO2)2−] polymer electrolytes

The role and impact of rubber in poly(methyl methacrylate)/lithium triflate electrolyte

Attenuated total reflectance–Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy measurement is employed to study the interactions between the components of 30% methyl-grafted natural rubber (MG30), lithium trifluromethanesulfonate (LiCF3SO3 or LiTF), and propylene carbonate (PC). Vibrational spectra data of LiTF reveals that the νs(SO3) at 1,045 cm−1, δs(CF3) at 777 cm−1, and C=O stretching mode at 1,728 cm−1 for MG30 have shifted to lower wave numbers in MG30–LiTF complexes indicating that complexation has occurred between MG30 and LiTF. The solvation of lithium ion is manifested in Li+ ← O=C interaction as shown by the downshifting and upshifting of C=O mode at 1,788 to 1,775 cm−1 and νas(SO3) at 1,250 to 1258 cm−1, respectively, in LiTF–PC electrolytes. There is no experimental evidence of the interaction between MG30 and PC. Competition between MG30 and PC on associating with lithium ion is studied, and the studies show that the interaction between MG30–LiTF is stronger than that of the PC–LiTF in plasticized polymer–salt complexes. The effect of PC on the ionic conductivity of the MG30–LiTF system is explained in terms of the polymer, plasticizer, and salt interactions. The temperature dependence of conductivity of the polymer films obeys the Vogel–Tamman–Fulcher relation. Values of conductivity and activation energy of the MG30-based polymer electrolyte systems are presented and discussed.

Ab Malik Marwan Ali

Papers

Impedance studies on plasticized PMMA-LiX [X: CF3SO3−, N(CF3SO2)2−] polymer electrolytes

The role and impact of rubber in poly(methyl methacrylate)/lithium triflate electrolyte

Grafted natural rubber-based polymer electrolytes: ATR-FTIR and conductivity studies

Electrochemical studies on epoxidised natural rubber-based gel polymer electrolytes for lithium-air cells

Polyethylene oxide (PEO)–ammonium sulfate ((NH4)2SO4) complexes and electrochemical cell performance