Lactic Acid-Based Solvents for Sustainable EDLC Electrolytes

Massimo Melchiorre, Roberto Esposito, Martino Di Serio, Giancarlo Abbate, Alessandro Lampasi, Andrea Balducci and Francesco Ruffo
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Massimo Melchiorre: CapTop S.r.l., 80023 Napoli, Italy
Roberto Esposito: Department of Chemical Science, University of Naples Federico II, 80138 Naples, Italy
Martino Di Serio: Department of Chemical Science, University of Naples Federico II, 80138 Naples, Italy
Giancarlo Abbate: CapTop S.r.l., 80023 Napoli, Italy
Alessandro Lampasi: National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), 00044 Frascati, Italy
Andrea Balducci: Institute of Technical Chemistry and Environmental Chemistry, Center for Energy and Environmental Chemistry (CEEC Jena), Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07743 Jena, Germany
Francesco Ruffo: Department of Chemical Science, University of Naples Federico II, 80138 Naples, Italy

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 14, 1-17

Abstract: The most relevant electrolytes used in commercial electrical double layer capacitors (EDLCs) are based on non-aqueous solvents as acetonitrile (ACN) and propylene carbonate (PC). However, these solvents are synthesized from non-renewable fossil feedstocks, making it desirable to develop more sustainable alternatives. To address this issue, in this work lactic acid was used to synthesize a panel of substances with small structural variation. The investigated products belong to the chemical family of ketals, and among them the 5-methyl-1,3-dioxolan-4-one (LA-H,H) was found to be the most suitable to prepare electrolytic solutions. Therefore, LA-H,H was combined with triethylmethylammonium tetrafluoroborate (TEMABF 4 ), and analyzed in symmetrical EDLC. This electrolyte was thoroughly characterized by cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic cycles and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), disclosing competitive performances compared to PC-based electrolyte. The EDLC with LA-H,H/TEMABF 4 displayed a specific energy and power of 13.4 Whkg −1 and 22.5 kWkg −1 respectively, with an optimal cycling stability over 5000 cycles at different current densities.

Keywords: EDLCs; sustainable solvents; non-aqueous electrolytes; 5-methyl-1,3-dioxolan-4-one (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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