Biomass Derived Fluorine-Free Ionic Liquids Based Electrolytes Enabling Sustainable Batteries (BioSusBat)

The lack of safe yet high-performance electrolytes and limited natural resources are two large challenges for battery development and their implementation on a larger scale.

First, the electrolytes of our modern, omnipresent, lithium-ionbatteries contain flammable solvents and fluorinated salts that are toxic. This poses serious safety and environmental problems, even at the recycling stage as well.

Second, more sustainable batteries from a natural resource limitation perspective can be achieved by (partially) converting from lithium-ion to sodium-ion batteries.This project will attack both problems by developing novel fluorine-free ionic liquids (ILs) based electrolytes starting from lignocellulosic biomass for application in SIBs.

ILs are organic salts with unique properties; they are non-flammable, liquid at low temperature, thermally and electrochemically stable and relatively low-cost. ILs can be produced in an energy-efficient manner using renewable starting materials and smart synthesis routes.

Here ILs and sodium salts will form the basis for electrolytes and systematic electrochemical studies as well as life-cycle assessment and recycling will be performed to address the above goals.The synthesis and characterization will be carried out by a PhD student supervised by Assoc. Prof. Faiz Ullah Shah, LTU, Luleå and co-supervised by Prof.

Patrik Johansson, Chalmers, Gothenburg. The electrochemical studies and battery testing will be performed jointly at LTU and Chalmers.