An aqueous magnesium-ion battery working at-50 °C enabled by modulating electrolyte structure

GS Yang and XQ Xu and GR Qu and J Deng and YC Zhu and C Fang and O Fontaine and P Hiralal and JX Zheng and H Zhou, CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL, 455, 140806 (2023).

DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2022.140806

The earth-abundant magnesium resource and aqueous electrolyte make aqueous magnesium-ion batteries (AMIBs) a promising post-lithium-ion battery technology to synchronously address cost and safety concerns. Nonetheless, the freeze issue of aqueous electrolytes is curbing the development of AMIBs working at low -temperature conditions. Here, we report an MgCl2 solution having a great low-temperature property via anion and concentration adjustment, which roots in the variation of the pristine hydrogen bond reticulation. Conse-quently, a 4 M MgCl2 aqueous electrolyte endows a low freezing point (-62 degrees C) as well as ultra-high ionic conductivity (2.77 mS/cm at-50 degrees C). By using 4 M MgCl2 as an electrolyte, the MnO2//VO2 battery is capable of working in a wide temperature range from +25 to-50 degrees C, achieving a high discharge capacity of 97.9 mAh/g (0.1 A/g) and a high cycling capability of 1000 cycles (similar to 90 % capacity retention at-20 degrees C). Furthermore, MgCl2 can be well compatible with polyacrylamide into an outstanding hydrogel electrolyte (in terms of mechanical property, anti- freeze performance, and high ionic conductivity) for a flexible quasi- solid-state MIBs application. The assembled flexible device attains appealing electrochemical properties across a broad temperature region, while the constructed pouch cell demonstrates superior flexibility and reliable safety. Our current exploration depicts an expeditious but productive paradigm for devising the high-performing AMIBs for low- temperature energy storage sectors.

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