Disclosed is an electrolyte for a redox flow battery including at least one additive selected from the group consisting of a taurine compound and an amino acid compound. Thus, it is possible to provide an electrolyte for a redox flow battery which may have high solubility of active materials, be stable at high temperature or high pH, and show excellent electrochemical properties. In addition, when the electrolyte for a redox flow battery includes a nitrogen (N)-containing organic molecule having high redox activity as an active material, it is possible to realize a high-efficiency demetallized redox flow battery capable of solving the problems of dendrite formation or irreversible precipitation fundamentally.

According to a method for producing a solid electrolyte that contains a lithium atom, a sulfur atom, a phosphorus atom and a halogen atom, including mixing a complexing agent and a solid electrolyte raw material, a solid electrolyte having a high ionic conductivity is provided using a liquid-phase method.

According to a method for producing a solid electrolyte that contains a lithium atom, a sulfur atom, a phosphorus atom and a halogen atom, including mixing a complexing agent and a solid electrolyte raw material, a solid electrolyte having a high ionic conductivity is provided using a liquid-phase method.

A solid electrolyte (10) of the present disclosure includes porous silica (11) having a plurality of pores (12) interconnected mutually and an electrolyte (13) coating inner surfaces of the plurality of pores (12). The electrolyte (13) includes 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide represented by EMI-FSI and a lithium salt dissolved in the EMI-FSI. A molar ratio of the EMI-FSI to the porous silica (11) is larger than 1.0 and less than 3.5.

Materials and methods for preparing electrode film mixtures and electrode films including reduced damage bulk active materials are provided. In a first aspect, a method for preparing an electrode film mixture for an energy storage device is provided, comprising providing an initial binder mixture comprising a first binder and a first active material, processing the initial binder mixture under high shear to form a secondary binder mixture, and nondestructively mixing the secondary binder mixture with a second portion of active materials to form an electrode film mixture.

The invention provides a zwitterionic plastic crystal (ZIPC) compound in the form of a single molecule comprising: at least one positively charged functional group carrying at least one positive charge, and at least one negatively functional group carrying at least one negative charge, wherein the positively charged functional groups and the negatively charged functional groups are covalently tethered together in the molecule, and the net charge of the zwitterionic compound is zero, and wherein the compound exhibits evidence of molecular disorder in the solid state.

The invention provides a zwitterionic plastic crystal (ZIPC) compound in the form of a single molecule comprising: at least one positively charged functional group carrying at least one positive charge, and at least one negatively functional group carrying at least one negative charge, wherein the positively charged functional groups and the negatively charged functional groups are covalently tethered together in the molecule, and the net charge of the zwitterionic compound is zero, and wherein the compound exhibits evidence of molecular disorder in the solid state.

A solid electrolyte represented by general formula Li.sub.ySiR.sub.x(MO.sub.4), where x is an integer from 1 to 3 inclusive, y=4−x, each R present is independently C1-C3 alkyl or C1-C3 alkoxy, and M is sulfur, selenium, or tellurium. Methods of making the solid electrolyte include combining a phenylsilane and a first acid to yield mixture including benzene and a second acid, and combining at least one of an alkali halide, and alkali amide, and an alkali alkoxide with the second acid to yield a product d represented by general formula Li.sub.ySiR.sub.x(MO.sub.4).sub.y. The second acid may be in the form of a liquid or a solid. The phenylsilane includes at least one C1-C3 alkyl substituent or at least one C1-C3 alkoxy substituent, and the first acid includes at least one of sulfuric acid, selenic acid, and telluric acid.

A solid electrolyte represented by general formula Li.sub.ySiR.sub.x(MO.sub.4), where x is an integer from 1 to 3 inclusive, y=4−x, each R present is independently C1-C3 alkyl or C1-C3 alkoxy, and M is sulfur, selenium, or tellurium. Methods of making the solid electrolyte include combining a phenylsilane and a first acid to yield mixture including benzene and a second acid, and combining at least one of an alkali halide, and alkali amide, and an alkali alkoxide with the second acid to yield a product d represented by general formula Li.sub.ySiR.sub.x(MO.sub.4).sub.y. The second acid may be in the form of a liquid or a solid. The phenylsilane includes at least one C1-C3 alkyl substituent or at least one C1-C3 alkoxy substituent, and the first acid includes at least one of sulfuric acid, selenic acid, and telluric acid.

Embodiments of the claimed invention are directed to a device, comprising: an anode that includes a lithiated silicon-based or lithiated carbon-based material or pure lithium metal or metal oxides and a sandwich-type sulfur-based cathode, wherein the anode and the cathode are designed to have porous structures. An additional embodiment of the invention is directed to a scalable method of manufacturing sandwich-type Li—S batteries at a significantly reduced cost compared to traditional methods. An additional embodiment is directed to the use of exfoliated CNT sponges for enlarging the percentage of sulfur in the cathode to have large energy density.