Nonaqueous rechargeable Al batteries (RABs) have attracted
significant
research interest due to the extremely abundant reserves, high theoretical
capacities, and low-cost. However, the commonly used nonaqueous RAB
ionic liquid (IL) electrolytes are highly air-sensitive and high-cost,
which seriously limits their commercial application. Herein, AlCl3–guanidine hydrochloride (AlCl3–GdnHCl),
a new low-cost and environmentally friendly deep eutectic solvent
(DES) with only 1/40 of the cost of [EMIm]Al
x
Cl
y
is introduced into applications
for nonaqueous RABs. The battery displays a discharge capacity of
128 mAh g–1 at 0.1 A g–1, which
is significantly higher than that of 88 mAh g–1 in
[EMIC]Al
x
Cl
y
electrolyte. It can reach 124.6 mAh g–1 at 1 A
g–1 with the Coulombic efficiency of 99.5% for 1000
cycles. According to the mechanism studies, during the charge–discharge
cycle, the fast deposition/dissolution reaction of Al took place at
the anode side, while intercalation/deintercalation reaction of [AlCl2(Gdn)n]+ ions and chloroaluminate anions
[Al
x
Cl
y
]− (i.e., Al2Cl7
– and AlCl4
–) occurred at the graphite
cathode side. With such significant electrochemical behaviors, the
AlCl3–GdnHCl DES possesses great potential for use
in high-performance storage devices.
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