Multifunctional solvent molecule design enables high-voltage Li-ion batteries

Elevating the charging cut-off voltage is one of the efficient approaches to boost the energy density of Li-ion batteries (LIBs). However, this method is limited by the occurrence of severe parasitic reactions at the electrolyte/electrode interfaces. Herein, to address this issue, we design a non-flammable fluorinated sulfonate electrolyte by multifunctional solvent molecule design, which enables the formation of an inorganic-rich cathode electrolyte interphase (CEI) on high-voltage cathodes and a hybrid organic/inorganic solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) on the graphite anode. The electrolyte, consisting of 1.9 M LiFSI in a 1:2 v/v mixture of 2,2,2-trifluoroethyl trifluoromethanesulfonate and 2,2,2-trifluoroethyl methanesulfonate, endows 4.55 V-charged graphite||LiCoO₂ and 4.6 V-charged graphite||NCM811 batteries with capacity retentions of 89% over 5329 cycles and 85% over 2002 cycles, respectively, thus resulting in energy density increases of 33% and 16% compared to those charged to 4.3 V. This work demonstrates a practical strategy for upgrading the commercial LIBs.