Experimental study demonstrates enhanced wide-temperature performance in sodium-ion batteries via electrolyte engineering, highlighting decoupled bulk transport and interfacial desolvation.
Despite competitive room‐temperature performance, sodium‐ion batteries suffer from sluggish kinetics and unstable interphases at ultralow temperatures. Herein, a single‐ether (diethylene glycol dibutyl ether, DGDE)‐based electrolyte featuring a spatially heterogeneous solvation structure across both the bulk and interfacial regions is successfully constructed by introducing a strongly polar sulfonate ester additive, 2,2,2‑trifluoroethyl trifluoromethanesulfonate (TTMS). In the bulk, DGDE chelates Na + via its multiple coordination sites to form a solvent‑separated ion pair dominated solvation structure, thereby enhancing ion dissociation and ionic conductivity. At the electrode–electrolyte interface, TTMS preferentially adsorbs onto the cathode surface, reconstructing the electric double layer into a compact, anion‐rich configuration dominated by contact ion pairs and aggregates. Meanwhile, TTMS in the inner Helmholtz plane provides desolvation‐active sites, lowering the charge‐transfer barrier and enabling the formation of a robust, inorganic‐rich interphase. This spatially heterogeneous solvation structure enables the decoupling of fast bulk ion transport and rapid interface desolvation. Consequently, at −40°C, the Na||NaNi 1/3 Fe 1/3 Mn 1/3 O 2 cell with the optimized electrolyte delivers an initial specific capacity of 109.9 mAh g −1 and sustains reversible cycling for 140 cycles with a capacity retention of 87.3%. Moreover, the cell demonstrates reliable electrochemical operation over a wide‐temperature range from −60°C to 55°C.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Chen et al. (2026) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: