In aqueous electrolyte batteries, the salt concentration of the electrolyte affects the ionic conductivity, which will further affect the rate performance of the battery as well as the diffusion of reactive species that can cause self-discharge, particularly in thick electrode devices. To this end, we explored the implications of device performance using Na 0.44 MnO 2 cathode material, NaTi 2 (PO 4 ) 3 , anode material in a NaClO 4 -based aqueous solutions with molarities as high as 5. Experiments included physical property characterizations, cyclic voltammetry, and constant current charging/discharging methods. Preliminary results indicate that, in cells with thick electrodes (∼1mm), rate capability and electrode utilization increased significantly with higher molarity solutions: capacity at the 1.5 C rate increased 38% by increasing the salt concentration from 1 M to 5 M. At the same time the oxygen-related self-discharge phenomenon was diminished when using higher electrolyte molarities, though there was still measurable loss in capacity in in the electrodes. Irreversible capacity loss was observed to occur even in electrolytes with the lowest oxygen content, suggesting that self discharge and capacity loss are not necessarily causally related. Clean and renewable energy technologies will require low cost batteries. As such, aqueous electrolyte alkali-ion batteries are promising solutions for those applications where the constraints on energy density and weight are less rigid compared to mobile or portable applications. The use of an aqueous electrolyte offers several advantages, specifically for large-scale energy storage applications, compared with batteries that are based on organic electrolyte blends. Neutral pH aqueous electrolyte batteries are non-flammable, have fast internal ion transportation and have the promise of having a relatively lower manufacturing cost. However, the stability window of water limits the voltage of an aqueous cell. Researchers have found the practical stability window of aqueous electrolyte is wider than the theoretical limit due to the kinetic effect. [1][2][3][4][5] This enables the usage of materials such as LiMn 2 O 4 whose operating potential exceeds the thermodynamic limit of pure water in the aqueous system. 17 However, capacity fading of aqueous cells is often reported in the literature with different electrode material systems. 3,13,17,18 Dissolved oxygen reacting with inserted Li/Na ions was believed to be one of the causes for capacity fading.3 In our study, we closely examined the influence of dissolved oxygen on anode stability.To make aqueous electrolyte batteries economically viable, relatively thick electrode structures must be used. 5,19 Electrolyte with good ionic conductivity is then needed to support such thick format electrodes to enhance ion transport throughout the device, thereby reducing ionic polarization. To this end, it is of interest to probe the relationship between electrolyte salt content, ionic conductivity, and overall device stability. We elec...