Succinonitrile broadening the temperature range of Li/CF x primary batteries

In lithium primary batteries, fluorinated carbon (CF x ) cathode has attracted enormous attention due to its high energy density. However, the CF x cathode reveals capacity fading sharply at low temperature. In this work, succinonitrile (SN) is used as an electrolyte additive to achieve excellent discharge performance at the temperature range from −20 °C to 60 °C. The obvious enhancement of electrochemical performances is attributed to the participation of succinonitrile in the formation of solid electrolyte interphase, which reduces the electrochemical impedance of battery. It is found that the electrolyte with 10% succinonitrile shows higher discharge platform and specific capacity at low temperature. Compared with the electrolyte without additive, the corresponding discharge capacity is enhanced from 398.8 mA·h/g to 527.3 mA·h/g at 0 °C. This work provides a convenient and lower-viscosity electrolyte system to improve the Li/CF x primary batteries applications in widen-temperature.