Patrik Johansson

Chalmers University of Technology · Department of Physics

Five new ionic materials comprising fluorine-free aromatic heterocyclic anions based on pyridine and pyrazine combined with a common n-tetrabutylphosphonium cation, (P4444)+, result in two room temperature ionic liquids (RTILs), one semi-solid, and two organic ionic plastic crystals (OIPCs) with melting points >20 °C. The OIPCs showed a plastic cry...

Aluminium batteries (AlBs) have gathered considerable attention, primarily due to their high capacity, their low cost, the large abundance of Aluminium in the Earth’s crust, and the recyclability of the Al metal anode. However, several hurdles must be surpassed to make AlBs a feasible energy storage technology and two of them are interconnected; th...

A comprehensive description of the electrochemical mechanisms of the Prussian blue analogue (PBA) K1.67Mn0.65Fe0.35[Fe(CN)6]0.92·0.45H2O is obtained by combining several complementary ex situ and operando physico-chemical characterisation techniques. This particular PBA,...

Recently, potassium-ion batteries (KIB) have been considered as a potential alternative of Li-ion batteries due to the cost effectiveness and the variety of electrode materials. Graphite – the well-known anode in LIB – has gained numerous attention from KIB scientists owing to its ability of intercalating K ⁺ ion to form KC 8 with high theoretical...

Development of all‐organic aqueous energy storage devices (ESDs) is a promising pathway towards meeting the needs of technically medium/low‐demanding electrical applications. Such ESDs should favour low cost, low environmental impact, and safety, and thereby complement more expensive, high voltage, and energy/power dense ESDs such as lithium‐ion ba...

In the last 5 years, potassium-ion batteries (PIBs) have been considered as a promising post-lithium-ion battery technology, much due to cost effectiveness and a variety of electrode materials available [1]. Prussian Blue Analogues (PBAs), with advantages such as simple synthesis, high capacity, and eco-friendliness, have gained a huge interest [2–...

Single-ion conducting polymer electrolytes created by plasticizing LiPSTFSI with PPO and LiTFSI are shown to both improve the ionic conductivity and alter the ion conduction mechanism. This correlates with both local and macroscopic properties, opening for rational design of solid-state, but yet pliable electrolytes.

Traditionally solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) for lithium battery application are made by dissolving a Li-salt in a polymer matrix, which renders both the Li⁺ cations, the charge carriers of interest, and the anions, only by-standers, mobile. In contrast, single-ion conductors (SICs), with solely the Li⁺ cation mobile, can be created by grafting...

The development of high energy density battery technologies based on divalent metals as the negative electrode is very appealing. Ca and Mg are especially interesting choices due to their combination of low standard reduction potential and natural abundance. One particular problem stalling the technological development of these batteries is the low...

Recently potassium-ion batteries have been proposed as a promising next generation battery technology owing to cost effectiveness and a wide range of electrode materials as well as electrolytes available. Potassium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (KFSI) in monoglyme (DME) is one potential electrolyte, wherein the K⁺ solvation heavily depends on the salt c...

As scientists within the field of battery research we may often find it quite difficult to match and trust the promises given in press releases and high‐profile papers. Even though there are real breakthroughs, where the results indeed are as impressive as they are marketed to be, we may as often find the reporting of “revolutionary” results to omi...

This is a critical review of artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) methods applied to battery research. It aims at providing a comprehensive, authoritative, and critical, yet easily understandable, review of general interest to the battery community. It addresses the concepts, approaches, tools, outcomes, and challenges of using AI/ML as...

Les batteries Na-ion font l’objet de nombreuses recherches récentes, certaines d’entre elles sont actuellement en phase de commercialisation. Cet ouvrage présente à la fois les aspects fondamentaux et appliqués de ces batteries. Il décrit la recherche récente réalisée sur de nouveaux matériaux d’électrode, notamment sur les deux principales famille...

Aqueous sodium‐ion batteries (ASIBs) are aspiring candidates for low environmental impact energy storage, especially when using organic electrodes. In this respect, perylene‐3,4,9,10‐tetracarboxylic dianhydride (PTCDA) is a promising anode active material, but it suffers from extensive dissolution in conventional aqueous electrolytes. As a remedy,...

Aqueous sodium‐ion batteries (ASIBs) are aspiring candidates for low environmental impact energy storage, especially when using organic electrodes. In this respect, perylene‐3,4,9,10‐tetracarboxylic dianhydride (PTCDA) is a promising anode active material, but it suffers from extensive dissolution in conventional aqueous electrolytes. As a remedy,...

Boronium cation‐based ionic liquids (ILs) have demonstrated high thermal stability and a >5.8 V electrochemical stability window. Additionally, IL‐based electrolytes containing the salt LiTFSI have shown stable cycling against the Li metal anode, the “Holy grail” of rechargeable lithium batteries. However, the basic spectroscopic characterisation n...

Increasing concerns regarding the sustainability of lithium sources, due to their limited availability and consequent expected price increase, have raised awareness of the importance of developing alternative energy-storage candidates that can sustain the ever-growing energy demand. Furthermore, limitations on the availability of the transition met...

The Cover Feature illustrates the chemical stability of boronium cation‐based ionic liquids (ILs) on the Li anode surface. The absence of unwanted side reactions between the cation and the Li anode indicates that these ILs are viable electrolyte components for Li metal batteries, which could help facilitate long‐term cycling stability. More informa...

We present CHAMPION (Chalmers hierarchical atomic, molecular, polymeric, and ionic analysis toolkit): a software developed to automatically detect time‐dependent bonds between atoms based on their dynamics, classify the local graph topology around them, and analyze the physicochemical properties of these topologies by statistical physics. In stark...

Scientific publications constitute the main information source of battery-related data for academic research. There is an impressive number of papers published on Lithium Ion Batteries (LIBs) for instance. Such impressive amount of data in principle could be used by machine learning (ML) methods in order to optimize efforts and even make possible t...

Lithium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI) based water-in-salt electrolytes (WiSEs) has recently emerged as a new promising class of electrolytes, primarily owing to their wide electrochemical stability windows (∼3–4 V), that by far exceed the thermodynamic stability window of water (1.23 V). Upon increasing the salt concentration towards s...

Highly concentrated electrolytes (HCEs) based on LiPF6 in propylene carbonate (PC) have been examined as lithium-ion battery electrolytes. These HCEs have lower ionic conductivities and higher viscosities than ethylene carbonate (EC) electrolytes with 1.2 M LiPF6, but they have higher Li+ ion transference numbers. Electrochemical cycling behaviour...

This chapter presents an overview of different liquid and solid electrolytes employed for sodium batteries. It covers the basics in more depth and discusses the current status of ionic liquid (IL)‐based electrolytes. The chapter outlines the challenges that remain to be solved to enable the realization of sodium batteries based on such electrolytes...

Magnesium batteries are currently attracting a lot of interest as a next generation battery technology. One critical issue is to find a suitable electrolyte and herein we explore an electrolyte based on magnesocene (MgCp2) in tetrahydrofuran (THF), aiming for low‐voltage Mg batteries, with respect to: Mg plating characteristics, electrochemical sta...

The development of Ca conducting electrolytes is key to enable functional rechargeable Ca batteries. The here presented screening strategy is initially based on a combined density functional theory (DFT) and conductor-like screening model for real solvents (COSMO-RS) approach, which allows for a rational selection of electrolyte solvent based on a...

Invited for this month's cover picture is an effort run by the group of Alejandro A. Franco and made in collaboration with Mathieu Morcrette, Patrik Johansson, Patrice Simon and Alexis Grimaud. The Front Cover illustrates an ideal scientific literature, in which all the data are systematically disclosed and available for researchers, together with...

The Front Cover illustrates an ideal scientific literature, in which all the data are systematically disclosed and available for researchers, together with artificial intelligence algorithms aiming to bring new light on the next generation of batteries. More information can be found in the Concept by A. A. Franco and co‐workers.

In article number 2003542 Martin R. Wilkening, Ilie Hanzu and co‐workers report a new Li+ and Na+ hybrid solid‐electrolyte which is fabricated via the modification of the MIL‐121 Metal Organic Framework structure, by ion exchange and a soaking electrolyte. A cooperative ion transport mechanism, to which both the porous framework and the small pore‐...

Electrolytes that can enable the use of a Li metal anode at a vast 3860 mAh/g, in place of currently used graphite anodes (372 mAh/g) are required for the advancement of next‐generation rechargeable Li batteries. Both quaternary ammonium and boronium (trimethylamine)(dimethylethylamine)dihydroborate [NNBH2]+ cation‐based ionic liquids (ILs) show hi...

Machine learning (ML) approaches have the potential to create a paradigm shift in science, especially for multi‐variable problems at different levels. Modern battery R&D is an area intrinsically dependent on proper understanding of many different molecular level phenomena and processes alongside evaluation of application level performance: energy,...

We present CHAMPION: a software developed to automatically detect time-dependent bonds between atoms based on their dynamics, classify the local graph topology around them, and analyze the physicochemical properties of these topologies by statistical physics. In stark contrast to methodologies where bonds are detected based on static conditions suc...

Solid‐state electrolytes (SSEs) can leapfrog the development of all‐solid‐state batteries (ASSBs), enabling them to power electric vehicles and to store renewable energy from intermittent sources. Here, a new hybrid Li+ and Na+ conducting SSE based on the MIL‐121 metal‐organic framework (MOF) structure is reported. Following synthesis and activatio...

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the promise of providing a paradigm shift in battery R&D by significantly accelerating the discovery and optimization of materials, interfaces, phenomena, and processes. However, the efficiency of any AI approach ultimately relies on rapid access to high‐quality and interpretable large datasets. Scientific publicati...

The physiochemical properties of lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI) in adiponitrile (ADN) electrolytes were explored as a function of concentration. The phase diagram and ionic conductivity plots show a distinct relationship between the eutectic composition of the electrolyte and the concentration of maximum ionic conductivity in t...

Aluminum 3D thin film anodes fully integrated with a separator are fabricated by sputtering and enable rechargeable aluminum metal batteries with high power performance. The 3D thin film anodes have an approximately four to eight times larger active surface area than a metal foil, which significantly both reduces the electrochemical overpotential,...

While the cost of the state-of-the-art electrochemical energy storage technology, the Li-ion battery (LIB), has been reduced by 8% at the pack level annually during the last decade (1), it is nowreaching its fundamental limits in terms of energy density. Furthermore, the risk of limited lithium supply and associated cost increases cannot be ignored...

Highly concentrated electrolytes (HCEs) are attracting interest as safer and more stable alternatives to current lithium-ion battery electrolytes, but their structure, solvation dynamics and ion transport mechanisms are arguably more complex. We here present a novel general method for analyzing both the structure and the dynamics, and ultimately th...

Here, we investigate the physicochemical and electrochemical properties of fluorine-free ionic liquid (IL)-based electrolytes with two different cations, tetrabutylphosphonium, (P 4,4,4,4) + , and tetrabutylammonium, (N 4,4,4,4) + , coupled to a new anion, 2-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]acetate anion (MEEA) − , for both neat and (P 4,4,4,4)(MEEA) als...

The currently emerging sodium-ion battery technology is in need of an optimized standard organic solvent electrolyte based on solid and directly comparable data. With this aim we have made a systematic study of "simple" electrolyte systems consisting of two sodium salts (NaTFSI and NaPF6) dissolved in three different alkyl carbonate solvents (EC, P...

Self-standing carbon nanofibers (CNF) were electrospun and tested in K-ion batteries (KIB). The comparison of the electrochemical performance of KIB using potassium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (KFSI) and potassium hexafluorophosphate (KPF6) carbonate-based electrolytes revealed that, despite the coulombic efficiency is more readily stabilized with KFS...

Highly concentrated electrolytes (HCEs) based on glymes, such as tetraglyme (G4), are currently the focus of much battery research, primarily due to their unique properties – especially with respect to ion transport and electrochemical stability. While the LiTFSI‐G4 and LiTDI‐G4 systems both have been studied extensively, we here design their hybri...

Organic batteries are promising alternatives to the present rechargeable battery technologies, mainly due to projected lower fabrication costs, less environmental impact, more versatility, and chemical and mechanical flexibility. In this study we investigate potential organic battery electrodes composed of an electronically conductive graphene mono...

A novel approach based on analyzing the forces and velocities of solvents and anions to compute ligand-exchange rates is here presented and applied to lithium-ion battery (LIB) and sodium-ion battery (SIB) electrolytes. By using ab initio molecular dynamics generated data, we find the ligand-exchange rates to increase as functions of electrolyte sa...

In this work we have investigated the charge storage mechanism of MnO2 electrodes in ionic liquid electrolytes. We show that by using an ionic liquid with a cation that has the ability to form hydrogen bonds with the active material (MnO2) on the surface of the electrode, a clear faradaic contribution is obtained. This situation is found for ionic...

TiO2 is a promising material for high‐power battery and supercapacitor applications. However, in general TiO2 suffers from an initial irreversible capacity which limits its use in different applications. A combination of a microbead morphology, Nb‐doping, and the use of an ionic liquid electrolyte is shown to significantly decrease the irreversible...

Here we focus on the thermal and variable temperature electrochemical stabilities of two ionic liquids (ILs) having a common tributyloctyl phosphonium cation [P4,4,4,8]+ and two different orthoborate anions: bis(mandelato)borate [BMB]− and bis(salicylato)borate [BScB]−. The thermo-gravimetric analysis data suggest that [P4,4,4,8][BScB] is thermally...

To elucidate what properties control and practically limit ion transport in highly concentrated electrolytes (HCEs) the viscosity, ionic conductivity, ionicity, and transport numbers were studied for nine model electrolytes and connected to the rate capability in Li‐ion battery (LIB) cells. The electrolytes employed the LiTFSI salt in three molar r...

In this work we demonstrate the application of a highly concentrated aqueous electrolyte to a hybrid supercapacitor cell. We combine an 8 m Sodium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (NaTFSI) aqueous electrolyte with a nanostructured VO2-cathode to enhance the voltage widow up to 2.4 V in a full cell. With the enhanced potential window, we are able...

Lithium‐sulfur (Li‐S) batteries are of great interest due to their potentially high energy density, but the low electronic conductivity of both the sulfur (S 8 ) cathode active material and the final discharge product lithium sulfide (Li 2 S) require the use of a conductive host. Usually made of relatively hydrophobic carbon, such hosts are typical...

Polysulfide (PS) solubility is a key property of Li‐S battery electrolytes for the conversion reaction(s) at the electrolyte‐electrode interface. When PSs shuttle between the composite C/S cathode and the lithium metal anode, however, this leads to a continuous loss of active material and thus rapid capacity fading. In order to restrict the shuttle...

In the past years the interest in deep eutectic solvents (DESs) has been steadily increasing, much due to the possibilities to rationally design their special physical properties by choosing the right combination of components. This perspective aims to help unifying how deep eutectic solvents should be reported and explores the vast opportunities f...

Concentrated electrolytes have the potential to increase the stability for batteries with lithium metal anodes. In this study, liquid electrolytes were created by mixing ethylene carbonate (EC), a solid at room temperature, with a high concentration of LiTFSI salt. The binary LiTFSI:EC highly concentrated electrolytes have the benefit of extremely...

Lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs) have become ubiquitous power sources for small electronic devices, electric vehicles, and stationary energy storage systems. Despite that the success of LIBs is acknowledged by their increasing commodity market, the historical evolution of the chemistry behind the LIB technologies is laden with obstacles and yet to be u...

Lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs) have become ubiquitous power sources for small electronic devices, electric vehicles, and stationary energy storage systems. Despite that the success of LIBs is acknowledged by their increasing commodity market, the historical evolution of the chemistry behind the LIB technologies is laden with obstacles and yet to be u...

Divalent cation based batteries are being considered as potential high energy density storage devices. The optimization of electrolytes for these technologies is, however, still largely lacking. Recent demonstration of the feasibility of Ca and Mg plating and stripping in the presence of a passivation layer or an artificial interphase has paved the...

This Review flows from past attempts to develop a (rechargeable) battery technology based on Ca via crucial breakthroughs to arrive at a comprehensive discussion of the current challenges at hand. The realization of a rechargeable Ca battery technology primarily requires identification and development of suitable electrodes and electrolytes, which...

The sodium-ion battery (SIB) is proposed as a complementary technology to today’s commercially dominant lithium-ion battery (LIB), mainly due to the numerous analogies between them, but with SIBs offering better long-term sustainability in terms of natural resources. While much know-how can be transferred from LIBs to SIBs, adjustments are still ne...

All solid‐state batteries (ASSBs) are promoted as a promising option towards higher energy and power densities as well as drastically reduced safety risks as compared to conventional lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs). Here a composite solid‐state electrolyte (SSE) based on two crystalline materials with two distinctly different ion conduction mechanisms...

Water-in-salt and water-in-bi-salt electrolytes have attracted much attention recently due to their expanded electrochemical stability windows. The concentration limit of such electrolytes is constrained by the solubility of the lithium salts employed, ca. 21 m (mol kg-1) for LiTFSI (lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide). By adding a second l...

The electrolyte salt plays an important role for the overall performance and safety of lithium- and sodium-ion batteries (LIBs and SIBs, respectively). Here, two new lithium and sodium pseudo-delocalized pyridinium anion based salts were used to prepare ionic liquid (IL) based electrolytes. The Li and Na salts of the 1-methylpyridinum 2,6-dicarboxy...

Here two chemical reduction pathways to synthesize the vinylene carbonate (VC)and poly(VC)reduction products are investigated, with the precise aim of further deciphering the lithium-ion battery solid electrolyte interphase (SEI)layer composition and the associated reduction mechanisms. The liquid synthesis pathway offers the opportunity of varying...

Aluminum (Al) batteries are fundamentally a promising future post-Li battery technology. The recently demonstrated concept of an Al-graphite battery represents some significant progress for the technology, but the cell energy density is still very modest and limited by the quantity of the AlCl3 based electrolyte, as it relies on AlCl4‒ intercalatio...

While the cost of the state-of-the-art electrochemical energy storage technology, the Li-ion battery (LIB), has been reduced by 8% at the pack level annually during the last decade,(1) it is now r eaching its fundamental limits in terms of energy density. Furthermore, the risk of limited lithium supply and associated cost increases cannot be ignore...

Raman spectroscopy is a powerful tool to study molecular level interactions in e.g. battery electrolytes. As cations and solvents interact, this affects the ion-pair formation and the nature of the solvation shells, which both are key factors affecting solution equilibria and ion transport. While Raman spectroscopy has been extensively used to stud...

A facial force-driven reflux technique was used to develop fibre-like carbon material from freeze-dried reduced graphene oxide (RGO) firstly prepared by using a modified Hummers method. The carbon nanofibres displayed a high specific surface area of ∼1317.8 m² g⁻¹, with good pore size distributions which could be beneficial for energy storage appli...

A facial force-driven reflux technique was used to develop fibre-like carbon material from freeze-dried reduced graphene oxide (RGO) firstly prepared by using a modified Hummers method. Extensive characterization of the as-synthesized nanofibres material was achieved by various analytical techniques. The carbon nanofibres displayed a high specific...

Rechargeable battery technologies based on the use of metal anodes coupled to multivalent charge carrier ions (such as Mg ²⁺ , Ca ²⁺ or Al ³⁺ ) have the potential to deliver breakthroughs in energy density radically leap-frogging the current state-of-the-art Li-ion battery technology. However, both the use of metal anodes and the migration of multi...

More stable electrolytes for lithium-ion batteries are urgently needed, and apart from general improvements in thermal and electrochemical stabilities, both stability, safety and performance are connected with the formation of the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer at the negative electrode. A high performant SEI-layer; thin, uniform, highly...

A model able to a priori predict ion conductivities of ionic liquids (ILs) is a desired design tool. We here propose a set of simple conductivity models for ILs composed of small ions by only using data easily derived from standard DFT calculations as input; ion volume, ion mass, ion moment of inertia, and the ion-ion interaction strength. Hence th...

This review addresses concepts, approaches, tools, and outcomes of multiscale modeling used to design and optimize the current and next generation rechargeable battery cells. Different kinds of multiscale models are discussed and demystified with a particular emphasis on methodological aspects. The outcome is compared both to results of other model...