Propylene Carbonate Research Articles

The Temperature Dependence of Divergence Pressure

The so-called controversy in elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) regarding the nature of the shear dependence of viscosity, Eyring versus Carreau, is truly a controversy regarding the pressure and temperature dependence of low-shear viscosity. Roelands removed data that contradicted his claims of accuracy for his correlation. The Roelands hoax became acceptable in EHL because ignoring the universal previtreous piezoviscous response made the traction calculated with the Eyring assumption appear to be reasonable. Traction and minimum film thickness calculations sometimes require the description of viscosity at pressures up to the glass transition pressure. There have been few measurements of viscosity at pressures up to glass pressure. Therefore, a need exists for a piezoviscous model that extrapolates accurately, and the Hybrid model fills that need. Here, an improved relation for the temperature dependence of divergence pressure is offered and extrapolation is demonstrated for a polyalphaolefin and propylene carbonate. A linear dependence of divergence pressure with temperature is more useful than previous versions. An improvement in the capability of high-pressure viscometry is suggested based upon the fractional Stokes Einstein Debye relation and the relatively simple measurements of DC conductivity.

Solvation Environment and Interface Dynamics of Li2B12H12 and Li2B12F12 Electrolytes Uncovered by Theory and Operando Optical and FTIR Spectroelectrochemistry.

In this work, we evaluated two closo-borate salts (Li2B12H12 and Li2B12F12) in propylene carbonate from theoretical and experimental perspectives to understand how the coordination environment influences their spectroscopic and electrochemical properties. The coordination environments of the closo-borate salts were modeled via density functional theory (DFT) and molecular dynamics (MD). Vibrational spectra calculated from the predicted coordination environments are in agreement with experimentally measured steady-state FTIR data. This theoretical investigation also suggested that Li2B12F12 would possess a higher ionic conductivity than Li2B12H12, which was corroborated experimentally. Additionally, an electrochemical cell was designed and fabricated that enabled operando optical and FTIR spectroelectrochemical (OP-IR-SEC) measurements. This allowed for the simultaneous measurement of the relative changes of species at a lithium electrode-liquid electrolyte interface and the visualization of lithium plating at the electrode surface. This technique could provide new chemical insights and potentially link optical changes at the electrode-electrolyte interface to specific chemical species in similar electrochemical systems. The Li2B12F12 electrolyte was found to have a higher thermal stability, which may find utility in applications for batteries that are subject to high-temperature conditions.

Revealing Activity of Symmetrical and Asymmetrical Ag2O‐MOx (M = Cu, Fe, Zn) Catalysts via DFT Calculations for Direct Propylene Epoxidation

AbstractDirect propylene epoxidation (DPE) with molecular oxygen is an effective process of conversion of propylene into propylene oxide (PO), which is an essential intermediate compound for many petrochemical products such as propylene glycol, propylene carbonate, polyurethane foams, etc. The modification of Ag‐based catalysts which prevents overoxidation and improves catalytic activity for PO production is studied by simulating Ag2O and mixed metal oxides of Ag2O‐CuO (Ag2CuO2), Ag2O‐ZnO (Ag2ZnO2) and Ag2O‐Fe2O3 (Ag2Fe2O4) catalysts using density functional theory (DFT). Instantaneous adsorption of propylene was observed over Ag2ZnO2 and Ag2CuO2. DPE with oxygen via the Mars‐Van Krevelen mechanism (MVKM) was investigated considering propylene and oxygen as alternatively adsorbed species and molecular species. DPE with molecular oxygen and adsorbed propylene required 1.7 times more activation energy than DPE with molecular propylene and adsorbed oxygen. DPE with oxygen via the Lagmuir‐Hinshelwood mechanism (LHM) required 3–4 times more activation energy than MVKM for Ag2O and Ag2CuO2, whereas it is comparable for Ag2ZnO2. This showed that both mechanisms are followed for DPE over Ag2ZnO2. Ag2ZnO2 was found to be the optimum catalyst for DPE with instantaneous adsorption of propylene and instantaneous desorption of PO.

One-step condensation synthesis of di-tertiary ammonium salt protic ionic liquid for efficiently catalytic CO2 cycloaddition reaction under cocatalyst- and solvent-free conditions

A novel protic ionic liquid di-tertiary ammonium bromide ionic liquid (DTAB-IL) was synthesized by one-step condensation at 0 ℃ with 85 % yield. DTAB-IL also exhibited effective catalytic activity for CO2 cycloaddition without cocatalyst and solvent. The catalytic reaction conditions were optimized to 90 ℃, 4 h, 1 MPa, and the yield of propylene carbonate was obtained 96 % with high selectivity 99 %. Under the optimal conditions, DTAB-IL catalyst exhibited good recyclability and universality to various epoxides. Furthermore, temperature influence and kinetic investigation for propylene carbonate synthesis were studied. The activation energy for DTAB-IL catalyzing CO2 cycloaddition reaction was 43.93 kJ/mol, and the reaction was found to follow first-order for propylene oxide. Efficient cycloaddition reaction of CO2 and epoxide was attributed to the activation of epoxide and CO2 by di-tertiary ammonium and epoxide ring-opening by bromide anion in DTAB-IL.

Ether chain-modified Alkanolguanidine for CO2 capture and subsequent conversion

Capturing CO2 and converting it into valuable chemicals has attracted considerable attention in recent years. Herein, a kind of ether chain-modified alkanolguanidines (ECMAs) was designed and synthesized as a dual functional reagent for carbon dioxide capture and conversion. Due to the presence of basic sites and CO2-philic ether chains, these ECMAs demonstrated almost equimolar CO2 capture at room temperature and atmospheric pressure through the synergy of physical and chemical absorption. Even for diluted CO2 (15 % CO2), 0.7 mol CO2 per mole capture reagent can still be achieved, showing their potential application in post-combustion capture. The synthesized ECMAs can also serve as catalyst in the cycloaddition reaction of CO2 with various epoxides, affording 75–99 % yield of corresponding cyclic carbonates under 3 MPa CO2 with tetrabutylammonium iodide (TBAI) as co-catalyst. Moreover, these ECMAs can be applied to the integrated CO2 capture and conversion, in which the ECMAs can react with CO2, forming the alkyl carbonate zwitterion as active CO2 species in the capture step. And in the subsequent cycloaddition reaction with propylene oxide, 52 % yield of propylene carbonate was obtained.

Multi-amino functionalized triazine-based polymers as the catalyst for cycloaddition of CO2 to epoxides

Designing efficient catalysts for CO2 cycloaddition to reduce CO2 emission is one of crucial for environmental issues technology. Herein, the multiple-amino functionalized triazine-based polymer (MAFTP) was prepared through the nucleophilic reaction of cyanuric chloride with melamine and ethylenediamine by a conventional heating method, which are favorable for CO2 adsorption due to their nitrogen-rich structure. MAFTP was characterized entirely, the CO2 adsorption capacity of MAFTP showed the CO2 uptake performance with the values of 5.73 cm3g−1 at 273 K and 1 bar. MAFTP/KI catalyst exhibited efficient catalytic activity for CO2 fixation to epoxides. 99 % propylene carbonate yield and 99 % selectivity were obtained under 120 °C, 2.0 MPa for 2.0 h without organic solvent. Additionally, the catalysts could be recycled easily from the products after reaction by centrifugation and then reused 5 times efficiently. Meanwhile, the catalytic activity of MAFTP/KI to other substituted epoxides was discussed. Moreover, DFT calculation was adopted to analyze the possible cycloaddition reaction mechanism. The MAFTP/KI system is a promising candidate for CO2 chemical fixation attributing to the low cost, abundant availability, easy separation and high catalytic activity for CO2 chemical fixation.

Insights into the Solution Processing of Non-van der Waals Boron Carbide.

Exfoliation of non-layered materials is crucial to unleash their enormous potential in wide range of applications. However, the presence of strong non-van der Waals interactions in all three dimensions makes exfoliation challenging. Boron carbide (B4C), known for its high hardness, holds great potential for diverse applications. In this work, B4C is exfoliated in 29 solvents to determine its Hansen solubility parameters (HSP) and understand the dispersion stability. The experimentally determined HSP values are 19.6, 15.3 and 15.1 MPa1/2 for dispersive interactions (δD), polar interactions (δP) and hydrogen bonding interactions (δH), respectively. Subsequently, in situ dispersion stability is analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively from the space-time resolved extinction profiles employing an analytical centrifuge. The sedimentation kinetics of B4C dispersions are analyzed using instability index, integral extinction and sedimentation velocity. B4C dispersions in solvents like ε-caprolactone, isopropyl alcohol, propylene carbonate and formamide exhibited excellent stability. Additionally, B4C nanosheets are utilized to investigate their field emission properties. These nanosheets exhibit a turn-on electric field of 3.35 V/μm at an emission current density of 1 μA cm-2, and it delivered a large emission current density of ~ 375 μA cm-2 at an applied electric field of 5.7 V/μm.

Inion Sulfocation Membranes Plasticized with Propylene Carbonate

The rapidly developing field of portable energy sources requires the search and development of effective materials for such devices. To improve the safety of the most common metal-ion batteries (lithium- and sodium-ion), instead of a liquid electrolyte, it is proposed to use a gel-polymer electrolyte with unipolar conductivity based on a Nafion-like electrolyte (Inion), plasticized with aprotic solvents. The work presents the results of a study of the thermal stability, molecular structure and supramolecular packing, as well as ionic conductivity of the Inion membrane in lithium and sodium forms, plasticized with propylene carbonate, using methods of simultaneous thermal analysis, IR spectroscopy, small-angle X-ray scattering and impedance spectroscopy.

Formation and investigation of properties of composite gel-polymer electrolytes based on Nafion@ZrO<sub>2</sub> membrane in Li<sup>+</sup> form

The use of cation-exchange membranes as polymer electrolytes in lithium metal batteries can inhibit dendrite formation during battery operation. Solvation of the membranes leads to an increase in ionic conductivity, but the mechanical properties, which also affect dendrite growth, are significantly degraded. In the present work, the mechanical strength and volumetric stability of Nafion®-117 membranes in Li+⁺ form solvated by a mixture of ethylene carbonate and propylene carbonate were improved by introducing nanosized zirconium dioxide particles into the membrane matrix by in situ method. It is shown that the introduction of 3.8 wt.% ZrO₂ leads to a ~28-fold increase in Young’s modulus compared to the unmodified membrane. At the same time, the volumetric stability of the membranes during solvation increases by ~3.4 times. However, the ionic conductivity of the membranes decreases after the introduction of dopant and is 3∙10–⁴, 5∙10–⁶ and 2.7∙10–⁶ S/cm at 25°C for the membrane without dopant and containing 3.8 wt.% and 6.7 wt.% zirconium dioxide, respectively.

Effects of dual plasticizers for improved PVC gel-based varifocal tiny lens

Abstract Electroactive polyvinyl chloride (PVC) gel-based varifocal lenses are attractive due to their excellent transparency, simple fabrication, compact structure, and good flexibility. In this work, dibutyl adipate (DBA) and propylene carbonate (PC) were utilized to plasticize PVC for fabricating transparent, soft, and flexible gels by solvent casting method. The PVC gels were characterized by various experimental techniques to investigate their optical, electrical, mechanical, and thermal properties. Further, the PVC gels were examined to construct a compact plano-convex tiny lens structure for varifocal lens application under electrical stimulation. The work revealed that the introduction of a co-plasticizer PC improves the overall dielectric property as well as transparency of the PVC gels. The observed enhancement in dielectric constant of the PC incorporated gels increased up to 6 times of the only DBA plasticized PVC gel (D9) while the transmittance value is ~5% higher than that of D9 gel. Moreover, the optimal ratio of DBA and PC in PVC gel was found to be 8.6: 0.4: 1 (wt %) and the optimized D8.6P0.4 gel induces better actuation properties resulting in improved focal length variation for the developed lens. The proposed adaptive tiny lens could change its focal length from 3 mm to 20.5 mm with increasing input voltage from 0 V to 1000 V. The developed tiny lens exhibited excellent optical characteristics including fast response speed and good stability. Moreover, this study broadens the scope for property tuning strategies for the EAP design and application.

Toward Sustainable Poly(lactic acid)/Poly(propylene carbonate) Blend Films with Balanced Mechanical Properties, High Optical Transmittance, and Gas Barrier Performance via Reactive Compatibilization and Biaxial Stretching

Toward Sustainable Poly(lactic acid)/Poly(propylene carbonate) Blend Films with Balanced Mechanical Properties, High Optical Transmittance, and Gas Barrier Performance via Reactive Compatibilization and Biaxial Stretching

Novel Simple Approach for Production of Elastic Poly(propylene carbonate)

The simple approach of increasing the elastic properties of atactic poly(propylene carbonate) (PPC) with Mn = 71.4 kDa, ĐM = Mw/Mn = 1.86, and predominantly carbonate units (>99%) is suggested by selecting the appropriate hot pressing temperature for PPC between 110 and 140 °C. Atactic PPC is synthesized through ring-opening copolymerization of (rac)-propylene oxide and CO2 mediated by racemic salen complex of Co(III). Hot pressing PPC results in the release of a small amount of propylene carbonate (PC), sufficient to lower the glass transition temperature from 39.4 to 26.1 °C. Consequently, increasing the pressing temperature from 110 to 140 °C generates materials with a reduced modulus of elasticity (from 1.94 to 0.09 GPa), yield strength (from 38 to 2 MPa) and increased tensile elongation (from 140 to 940%). Thermomechanical analysis has shown a significant expansion in sample volume by hundreds of percent within the 80–130 °C range. PPC also displays large, reversible deformations, which can be utilized by creating shape memory materials.

Influence of Solvent Dielectric Constant on the Complex Coacervation Phase Behavior of Polymerized Ionic Liquids.

Complex coacervation is an associative phase separation process of oppositely charged polyelectrolyte solutions, resulting in a coacervate phase enriched with charged polymers and a polymer-lean phase. To date, studies on the phase behavior of complex coacervation have been largely restricted to aqueous systems with relatively high dielectric constants due to the limited solubility of most polyelectrolytes, hindering the exploration of the effects of electrostatic interactions from differences in solvent permittivity. Herein, we prepare two symmetric but oppositely charged polymerized ionic liquids (PILs), consisting of poly[1-[2-acryloyloxyethyl]-3-butylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethane)sulfonimide] (PAT) and poly[1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium 3-[[[(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl]amino]sulfonyl]propyl acrylate] (PEA). Due to the delocalized ionic charges and their chemical structure similarity, both PAT and PEA are soluble in various organic solvents with a wide range of dielectric constants, ranging from 16.7 (hexafluoro-2-propanol (HFIP)) to 66.1 (propylene carbonate (PC)). Notably, no significant correlation is observed between the solvent dielectric constant and the phase diagram of the complex coacervation of PILs. Most organic solvents lead to similar phase diagrams and salt resistances regardless of their dielectric constants, except two protic solvents (HFIP and 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol (TFE)) showing significantly low salt resistances compared to the others. The low salt resistance in these protic solvents primarily arises from strong hydrogen bonding between PILs and solvents as evidenced by 1H NMR and small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) experiments. Our finding suggests that for the coacervation of PILs, particularly those with delocalized and weak charge interactions, entropy from the counterion release and polymer-solvent interaction χ parameter play a more important role than the electrostatic interactions of charged molecules, rendered by the dielectric constant of the solvent medium.

CO2 utilization for the synthesis of propylene carbonate from propylene oxide using CeO2–La2O3 mixed oxide under solventless condition

One of the most promising strategies for removing excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is CO2 utilization. Here, we describe the effective synthesis of propylene carbonate utilizing CeO2–La2O3 (Ce–La) mixed oxide, combining propylene oxide with carbon dioxide. The addition of La2O3 (La) to CeO2(Ce) resulted in an increase in oxygen vacancy, reducibility, and support–support interaction. Modifying the La:Ce ratio leads to a fine–tuning of the reducibility of the oxide, which can be explained by the formation of oxygen vacancies in the ceria lattice upon La addition. This modification also permits tailoring of the oxide morphology (lattice parameter, pore structure, particle size, and surface area). Powder X–ray diffraction (P–XRD), temperature programmed reduction by hydrogen (H2–TPR), Raman spectroscopy, BET surface area, and X–ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to analyze the physico–chemical properties of the developed materials. Additionally, it demonstrates excellent catalytic activity for the solvent–free cycloaddition of CO2 with propylene oxide, yielding 86%, and it maintains its high stability over five cycles without changing its shape.

Effect of Deep Eutectic Solvent (DES) on physicochemical and electrochemical properties of triethylmethylammonium tetrafluoroborate in propylene carbonate and aqueous propylene carbonate solvent systems for energy storage applications: A comparative analysis

The use of non-toxic and biodegradable Deep Eutectic Solvents (DES) in energy storage has attracted a lot of attention as the toxic, costly and flammable organic electrolytes do not seem to be sustainable for the environment. So, to analyse the potential of DESs in this area their physicochemical properties and molecular interaction study can be quite helpful. The measurements were made of the density, sound speed, and electrical conductivity of Triethylmethylammonium Tetrafluoroborate (TEMABF4) at four different temperatures in two different solvent systems: propylene carbonate (PC) with ethaline DES (a mixture of ethylene glycol and chlorine in a 1:2 ratio) added as an additive, and binary aqueous PC with ethaline DES again, added as an additive. Density and speed of sound measurements were used to determine the physicochemical characteristics such as apparent molar volume and partial molar volume), apparent molar isentropic compressibility and partial molar isentropic compressibility and limiting molar expansibilities. The effects of DES on the intermolecular interactions in the PC and aqueous PC solvent environment were demonstrated using these parameters. The findings demonstrated that the solute–solvent interactions in both systems were enhanced by the addition of DES. Hepler’s constant additionally showed that TEMABF4 behaved as a structure maker in the DES in aq. PC system and a structure breaker in the DES in PC system. In order to investigate the electrochemical applications, the electrochemical stability and electrical conductivity of the systems being studied are also reported in this paper.

Poly (Propylene Carbonate) with Extremely Alternating Structure Used as Binders for High-Loading Cathodes by Solvent-Free Method in High-Performance NCM811 Batteries.

The cathode affects the capacity, working voltage, and cost of lithium-ion batteries. Although the binder is a small part of the cathode material, it is particularly important to the performance of the batteries. Therefore, the design and development of polymer binders with different structures and characteristics is an important topic. In this paper, an NCM811 cathode (PPC-NCM) was prepared by a solvent-free method using poly (propylene carbonate) (PPC) as the binder, with an active substance loading of 10 mg/cm2. To explore the effect of the PPC binder on the electrochemical performance of the NCM811 cathode, the discharge capacity was 112.2 mAh/g with a 76.1% capacity retention after cycling more than 200 cycles at 1 C, which has a significantly better cycling performance than that of a PVDF-NCM/Li battery. The PPC/NCM/graphite full cells were also assembled to demonstrate the practical application potential of this work. It was shown that PPC as a binder can improve the cycling stability of NCM811/Li and NCM811/graphite full cells. The PPC binder used in the NCM811 cathode not only makes it extremely easy to prepare dry electrodes, but also makes it very simple to recover the electrode material by heating in the case of battery failure. This paper provides a new idea for the industrialization and development of a novel binder.

Effect of Liquid Properties on the Non-Newtonian Rheology of Concentrated Silica Suspensions: Discontinuous Shear Thickening, Shear Jamming, and Shock Absorbance.

Concentrated particle suspensions exhibit rheological behavior, such as discontinuous shear thickening (DST) and dynamic shear jamming (SJ), which affect applications such as soft armors. Although the origin of this behavior in shear-activated particle-particle interactions has been identified, the effect of chemical factors, especially the role of liquids, on this behavior remains unexplored. Hydrogen bonding in suspensions has been proposed to be essential for frictional contacts between particles, and therefore, most studies on DST and SJ have focused on aqueous and protic organic media with a definite hydrogen bonding ability. To identify an alternative molecular mechanism, this study explored the effects of liquid polarity and an aprotic nature on the rheological behavior of concentrated suspensions of silica microparticles. Owing to their excellent particle dispersion, the DST behavior of polar liquids was observed, independent of protic and aprotic liquids. In contrast, nonpolar liquids formed particle agglomerates because of the particle-particle attraction and became a paste at a high particle fraction. The SJ behavior was confirmed for three aprotic organic liquids (propylene carbonate, 1,3-dimethyl-2-imidazolidinone, and 1,3-dimethylpropyleneurea), suggesting the hydrogen bonding ability of these aprotic liquids. The diverse mechanisms of shear-activated interactions between particles present material design possibilities for the non-Newtonian rheology of concentrated particle suspensions.

Chiral Electrokinetic Phenomena in Single Nanopores

AbstractThe arrangement of solvent molecules and ions at solid–liquid interfaces determines electrochemical properties that are important in separations platforms, sensing technologies, and energy‐storage systems. Here we show that single glass and polymer pores in contact with propylene carbonate (PC) solutions of LiClO4 exhibit an effective surface potential that is modulated by the enantiomeric excess of the solvent. In particular, electrochemical and electrokinetic measurements of ionic transport through glass pipettes and polymer pores reveal that the effective surface potential is significantly lower in solutions prepared using enantiomerically pure PC than in solutions prepared using racemic PC. Both pore systems became positively charged in all racemic solutions examined in the range of LiClO4 concentrations between 1 mM and 100 mM, whereas solutions in (R)‐(+)‐PC induced a positive surface potential only at concentrations above ~5 mM. The effective surface potential is quantified through asymmetry in current–voltage curves and zeta‐potential measurements. Vibrational sum‐frequency‐generation experiments on LiClO4 solutions in racemic and enantiomerically pure PC indicate that the surface lipid‐bilayer‐like region in the former is more strongly organized than in the latter, dictating the favorable positions for lithium and perchlorate ions in each case. The more ordered molecular packing in the racemic liquid leads to accumulation of lithium ions on the outside of the bilayer, creating a higher effective positive charge. Our results highlight the extreme sensitivity of the interfacial potential on molecular organization of the solvent, and the relatively unexplored role that chirality can play in electrokinetic phenomena.

Strong Ion‐Dipole Interactions for Stable Zinc‐Ion Batteries with Wide Temperature Range

AbstractAqueous zinc‐ion batteries are widely recognized as promising alternatives to lithium batteries due to their excellent safety, environmental compatibility, and cost‐effectiveness. Nonetheless, the formation of dendrites, corrosion, and undesirable side reactions on the zinc surface pose significant challenges to the cycling stability of zinc‐ion batteries. In this study, polar propylene carbonate (PC) is paired with tetrafluoroborate anions to establish a strong ion‐dipole interaction. Strong ion‐dipole interaction can not only alter the solvation structure of zinc ions but also facilitate the formation of a dynamic double electric layer on the surface of the zinc electrode, suppressing the formation of ZnF2 interface and carbonate, thereby facilitating uniform zinc ion deposition, and consequently improving battery cycling stability over a broad temperature range. Concretely, the formulated electrolyte enhances the cycling stability of the battery over a wide temperature range of −30 to 40 °C, accompanied by a capacity retention of ≈100% even after 10 000 cycles at −30 °C. The symmetrical battery utilizing this electrolyte exhibits stable cycling performance for over 1200 h at 25 °C and 1900 h at −30 °C, respectively. The findings provide a promising direction for the development of long‐cycle batteries capable of operating over a wide temperature range.

Outer Helmholtz plane adsorption regulation to achieve low-concentration of pure propylene carbonate solvent electrolytes compatible with graphite anode

The low melting point and high polarity of propylene carbonate (PC) make it an ideal solvent for electrolytes of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), but the incompatibility with graphite anode hinders the application. In the present study, a new method is developed to solve this problem from a new viewpoint. Introduction of saturated LiNO3 (0.14 mol L‒1) into pure PC electrolyte containing lithium salt with normal concentration (1.38 mol L‒1) leads to a perfect compatibility with graphite anode. Li/Graphite cell using this pure PC electrolyte shows a reversible capacity of 350.0 mAh g‒1 and a 200-cycle capacity retention of 96.3 %. Further mechanism study and theoretical computation indicate that the NO3‒ anions are adsorbed to outer Helmholtz plane of the electric double layer at the graphite anode interface. This changes the Li+ solvation structure in the electric double layer, facilitating the Li+ desolvation process hence resulting in high compatibility with the graphite anode. The most prominent advantage of the present strategy is that, because of the adsorption of NO3‒ anions to the outer Helmholtz plane, the compatibility with graphite anode could be improved by introduction of tiny amount of Li salt without large change of the bulk phase properties of the electrolyte. This work provides a new understanding of the compatibility from the viewpoint of outer Helmholtz plane, which might deliver new insights for the optimization of electrolytes for LIBs.