A University of Chicago scientist is demystifying the dark art of electrolyte design.Creating the Building Blocks for Next-Generation BatteriesWith more than a trillion tons of carbon dioxide now circulating in the atmosphere, and global temperatures projected to rise anywhere from 2 degrees to 9.7 degrees Fahrenheit (1.1 to 5.4 degrees Celsius) in the next 80 years, switching from fossil fuels to renewable energy is a pressing issue demanding critical attention. To make the transformation, humanity will need entirely new energy storage technologies.Lithium-ion batteries, the current standard, rely on flammable electrolytes and can only be recharged about a thousand times before their capacity is dramatically reduced. Other potential successors have their own issues. Lithium metal batteries, for example, suffer from a short lifespan due to long needle-like deformities called
Demystifying the Dark Art of Electrolyte Design for Next-Generation Batteries
