Ion Speciation and Transport Properties of LiTFSI in 1,3-Dioxolane Solutions: A Case Study for Li-S Battery Applications.

Lithium-sulfur battery is considered to be one of the main candidates for "post-lithium-ion" battery generation because of its high theoretical specific capacity and inherently low cost. The role of electrolyte is particularly important in this system, and remarkable battery performances have been reported by tuning the amount of salt in the electrolyte. To further understand the reasons for such improvements, we chose the lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide in 1,3-dioxolane electrolyte as a model salt-solvent system for a systematic study of conductivity and viscosity over a wide range of concentration from 10-5 up to 5 m. The experimental results, discussed and interpreted with reference to the theory of electrolyte conductance, lead to the conclusion that triple ion formation is responsible for the highest molal conductivity values before reaching the maximum at 1.25 m. At higher concentrations, the molal conductivity drops quickly because of a rapid increase in viscosity and the salt-solvent system can be treated as a diluted form of molten salt.