Electrolytes and Interfaces in Calcium and Magnesium Rechargeable Batteries

by Juan D. Forero Saboya, from the Solid State Chemistry (SSC) Group at ICMAB-CSIC

Date: Tuesday, 5 April 2022
Time: 11:00 am
Venue: ICMAB - Sala d'Actes Carles Miravitlles and online. Register here to attend by Zoom.

Abstract: "Among the different next-generation battery chemistries, the ones based on Ca or Mg metals stand out as attractive candidates given their high energy density and high availability. However, the development of electrolytes capable of sustaining the operation of Ca or Mg metal batteries is still an open challenge. In this thesis, a study of the electrolyte formulation for Ca metal batteries is presented, with parallelisms to Mg application.

The electrolyte is studied from three complementary points of view: production of high-purity salts, macroscopic physicochemical properties, and electrochemical compatibility with Ca or Mg metallic electrodes. The solvation shell of the cation in the electrolyte is highlighted across the thesis as an important parameter for the development of high-performance electrolytes in these systems. "

Supervisors:

• Alexandre Ponrouch, Solid State Chemistry, ICMAB-CSIC
• Patrik Johansson, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden

PhD Committee:

• President: Reza Younesi, Uppsala University, Sweden
• Secretary: Elvira Gomez Valentin, Universitat de Barcelona, Spain
• Vocal: Alexandru Vlad, Université Catholique de Louvain

University: Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
PhD Programme: Materials Science Programme

Solvation sheel of a Ca cation in a Ca(BF4)2 electrolyte used for Ca metal batteries