Li/air flow battery employing Ionic liquid electrolytes

Abstract

Despite the considerable initial optimism behind its development and prospective commercialization, the Li/air battery chemistry has now reached a mature stage of development, which has served to highlight the main underlying technological limitations, as well as what can realistically be expected from it. One of the main challenges is the control of the discharge product morphology, that is, Li2O2, onto the positive electrode. In this article, we show how the three‐phase configuration required to ensure cell operation can be induced in a two‐phase system made of mesoporous carbon and an ionic liquid electrolyte [N‐butyl‐N‐methylpyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethane sulfonyl)imide, Pyr14TFSI] by means of an oxygen‐bubbling device (OBD) and a peristaltic pump. The use of a non‐flammable, non‐volatile electrolyte ensures long‐term, extensive discharging (up to 4.78 mAh cm−2), as well as operation at temperatures higher than room temperature.