【Frontiers in HaiChuan Chemical Technology】Addressing consumers’ concerns regarding battery energy storage capacity and performance in low temperatures – hydrofluorocarbon electrolytes for high-energy-density and low-temperature batteries

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Recently, it was learned from the Eighth Academy of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation that a joint team composed of researchers from the 811th Institute of the Eighth Academy and Nankai University has successfully developed a hydrofluorocarbon electrolyte for high-energy-density and low-temperature batteries. This marks a new breakthrough in China’s core lithium battery technologies; it is expected to significantly increase the endurance of existing lithium batteries while markedly improving their performance at low temperatures. As a key component that connects the positive and negative electrodes of a lithium battery, the electrolyte plays a role in transporting ions; it acts like a \"highway\" between the electrodes. It is crucial for factors such as the battery’s energy efficiency, operational stability, and temperature tolerance. In lithium batteries currently available on the market, the solvents used in the electrolyte are mainly oxygen- and nitrogen-based ligands. Although these solvents have strong solvating power for lithium salts, they hinder charge transfer, which in turn creates barriers to improving energy density and performance at low temperatures. Data shows that the energy density of conventional lithium batteries at room temperature is around 300 watt-hours per kilogram, while at -20 degrees Celsius, this value drops sharply to below 150 watt-hours per kilogram. According to Li Yong, a researcher at Institute 811 of the Eighth Academy, this groundbreaking achievement enables the energy density of lithium batteries to exceed 700 watt-hours per kilogram at room temperature, and to remain around 400 watt-hours per kilogram even at -50°C. “Lithium batteries of the same quality exhibit a storage capacity that is 2 to 3 times higher at room temperature, enabling the driving range of electric vehicles to increase from 500 to 600 kilometers to 1,000 kilometers or even more. Moreover, these batteries can still function properly in extreme low temperatures of minus 70°C. ”Li Yong said. It is reported that this technological breakthrough holds broad application prospects: in the field of high-tech, it can enhance the endurance and payload capacity of devices such as spacecraft, drones, and intelligent robots in extreme cold environments ； In daily life, it is expected to lead to a significant increase in the driving range of electric vehicles and the standby time of mobile phones in low-temperature environments, thereby alleviating consumers’ concerns regarding battery storage capacity and temperature performance.