Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 18, 2026

Synthesis of Ionic Liquid Based Electrolytes, Assembly of Li-ion Batteries, and Measurements of Performance at High Temperature
Published on: December 20, 2016
Sodium-ion electrolytes based on ionic liquids: a role of cation-anion hydrogen bonding
Vitaly V Chaban1, Nadezhda A Andreeva2
1Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil. vvchaban@gmail.com.
Abstract:
Recent success of the sodium-ion batteries fosters an academic interest for their investigation. Room-temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) constitute universal solvents providing non-volatility and non-flammability to electrolytes. In the present work, we consider four families of RTILs as prospective solvents for NaBF4 and NaNO3 with an inorganic salt concentration of 25 and 50 mol%. We propose a methodology to rate RTILs according to their solvation capability using parameters of the computed radial distribution functions. Hydrogen bonds between the cations and the anions of RTILs were found to indirectly favor sodium solvation, irrespective of the particular RTIL and its concentration. The best performance was recorded in the case of cholinium nitrate. The reported observations and correlations of ionic structures and properties offer important assistance to an emerging field of sodium-ion batteries. Graphical Abstract Sodium-ion electrolytes.
Related Concept Videos
Ionic Association
Ionic Bonding and Electron Transfer
Ionic Bonds
When atoms gain or lose electrons to achieve a more stable electron configuration they form ions. Ionic bonds are electrostatic attractions between ions with opposite charges. Ionic compounds are rigid and brittle when solid and may dissociate into their constituent ions in water. Covalent compounds, by contrast, remain intact unless a chemical reaction breaks them.
Opposing Charges Hold Ions Together in Ionic Compounds
Ionic bonds are reversible electrostatic interactions between ions...
Ionic Bonds
Intermolecular Forces
Aqueous Solutions and Heats of Hydration
When ionic compounds dissolve in water, the ions in the solid separate and disperse uniformly throughout the solution because water molecules surround and solvate the ions, reducing the strong electrostatic forces between them. This process...

