Prof. Stefano Passerini, Principal Scientist at the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology and Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), has co-authored a groundbreaking Perspective article in Nature Reviews Chemistry. The publication, titled "Co-solvent strategy for rechargeable post-lithium metal batteries", was developed in collaboration with researchers from Southeast University Nanjing and the Helmholtz Institute Ulm (HIU).
As global demand for lithium-ion batteries surges, concerns over lithium's limited availability and rising costs have spurred intense research into alternative rechargeable battery technologies. The new article highlights how co-solvent strategies can offer a crucial breakthrough for so-called post-lithium metal batteries, which utilize more abundant elements such as sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, zinc, and aluminium as charge carriers.
The authors provide a comprehensive overview of the current progress in electrolyte design, emphasizing how the coordination ability of co-solvents influences key factors like solvation structure, de-solvation processes, and the formation of solid electrolyte interphases—each critical for the performance and reversibility of these emerging battery systems.
The study also calls attention to the need for deeper understanding of electrolyte interactions beyond the immediate solvation shell of cationic charge carriers, as well as the development of more sustainable electrolyte systems.
Read the full article here: Nature Reviews Chemistry – Co-solvent strategy for rechargeable post-lithium metal batteries