Magnesium-ion systems are the most researched of the multivalent-ion chemistries because of the ability to use energy-dense metallic magnesium anodes, which have a higher volumetric energy density compared to metallic lithium. Despite the amount of research that has been done in this area, the limiting factor in bringing these batteries to fruition has been the development of electrolytes that allow for the reversible electrodeposition of magnesium metal with high cycling efficiency. Currently, the general synthetic strategy for making Mg-conducting electrolytes is through a reaction of Grignard reagents or Grignard-derived compounds with Lewis acids such as R<sub>x</sub>AlCl<sub>3-x</sub> to generate an electroactive Mg species and an aluminate anion. The chloride ions in these solutions have proven to be problematic because they limit the oxidative stability of the solution and are corrosive toward stainless steel. The development of synthetic routes for electrolyte solutions that either have less halide ions or are halide-free is crucial to making Mg-ion batteries feasible. We will present our work on the synthesis and characterization of electrolyte solutions that utilize organomagnesium compounds in unconventional ways to generate electroactive magnesium solutions. Deposition overpotential, coulombic efficiency, and oxidative stability as a function of Lewis acid metal center and ligand environment will also be discussed.

Synthetic strategies for magnesium-ion electrolytes

249th National Meeting (2015)

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