Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 6, 2025

Controlling the Size, Shape and Stability of Supramolecular Polymers in Water
Published on: August 2, 2012
Physicochemical and Electrochemical Properties of Water-in-Salt Electrolytes
1Département de Chimie, Université du Québec à Montréal, Case Postale 8888, succursale Centre-Ville, Montréal, Québec, H3C 3P8, Canada.
Abstract:
Aqueous electrolytes are attractive for applications in electrochemical technologies due to features like being eco-friendly, cost effective, and non-flammable. Very recently, superconcentrated aqueous electrolytes, such as so-called water-in-salt, water-in-bisalt, and hydrate melt, have received a significant attention for electrochemical energy storage due to enhanced stability and much wider electrochemical stability window. This Review focuses on the physicochemical properties of the highly concentrated electrolytes that are derived from several analysis techniques and simulation. A summary of most common features such as ions-water interactions, structure of species present in the electrolyte, conductivity, and viscosity of the electrolytes found in the literature are presented as well. In addition, this Review explains how these characteristics affect the electrochemical behavior of the electrolyte such as double layer structure and electrode/electrolyte interface leading to enhanced electrochemical stability of aqueous electrolytes.
Related Concept Videos
Electrolyte and Nonelectrolyte Solutions
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...
Ionic Strength: Effects on Chemical Equilibria
In this solution, the primary...
Solvents
A...
Solubility Equilibria: Ionic Product of Water
The ionic product of water varies with temperature, and its value is 1.0 x 10−14 at standard experimental conditions. Per Le...
Ions as Acids and Bases
Salts are ionic compounds composed of cations and anions, either of which may be capable of undergoing an acid or base ionization reaction with water. Aqueous salt solutions, therefore, may be acidic, basic, or neutral, depending on the relative acid-base strengths of the salt’s constituent ions. For example, dissolving the ammonium chloride in water results in its dissociation, as described by the equation:

