Nankai University Researchers Develop Fluorinated Lithium Battery Electrolyte

People's Daily reported that researchers from Nankai University, the Shanghai Institute of Space Power-Sources, and collaborative institutions have achieved a technological breakthrough in lithium batteries. The team introduced a novel electrolyte approach that aims to significantly multiply driving ranges and improve low-temperature tolerance, publishing their findings in the journal Nature. The research strategy transitions the foundational transport chemistry inside electrolytes from conventional lithium-oxygen coordination to lithium-fluorine coordination. By designing fluorinated hydrocarbon solvents, the team developed transport carriers intended to replace traditional oxygen-based solvent structures that historically limited battery speed, load capacity, and thermal resilience. Fluorinated hydrocarbon solvents exhibit notable flame retardancy and extremely low freezing points. These chemical characteristics reduce the flammability of the electrolyte fluid to improve operational safety while allowing the electrolyte to maintain fluid mobility under freezing conditions to prevent battery failure in cold climates. Moving this chemistry from laboratory experiments to industrial mass production will require solving large-scale, low-cost synthesis and purification of fluorinated hydrocarbon solvents. The transition also requires optimizing matching cathode and anode systems, establishing new manufacturing processes and quality standards, and conducting engineering development for 1 to 2 years or longer.