Improved Electrolyte Solutions for Rechargeable Magnesium Batteries

Electrolyte solutions of magnesium organo-halo-aluminates in ethers are suitable for rechargeable magnesium batteries as they enable highly reversible electrodeposition for magnesium while they possess a wide electrochemical window ( > 2.2V). Adding LiCl or tetrabutylammonium chloride to these solutions considerably improves their ionic conductivity, the kinetics of the Mg deposition-dissolution processes, and the intercalation behavior of MgxMo6S8 Chevrel cathodes. The dissolution of both salts in the electrolytic solutions involves acid-base reactions with complex species. Multinuclei nuclear magnetic resonance and Raman spectroscopy were used in conjunction with electrochemical techniques to study these systems. The nature of these reactions, their products, and the way they influence the various properties of these solutions, are discussed herein.