Minimum Ethylene Carbonate Electrolytes Enabled by Fluorinated Ether Dilution for High-Voltage Fast-Charging...

Fast charging at high voltages is critical for improving the energy-power performance of lithium-ion batteries, yet it is fundamentally constrained by sluggish interfacial Li⁺ desolvation and unstable electrode interphases. Ethylene carbonate (EC)-rich electrolytes ensure robust interphase formation on graphite but suffer from strong Li⁺-solvent coordination, high viscosity, and poor oxidative stability on high-voltage cathodes. Simply lowering the EC content reduces viscosity and desolvation energy yet often compromises ionic conductivity and interfacial robustness, while EC-free formulations further degrade conductivity and interfacial stability. Here, a minimum EC electrolyte is developed that is enabled by a weakly coordinating fluorinated ether, 2-trifluoromethyl-3-methoxyperfluoropentane (TMMP), which partially replaces EC within a minimum EC window while preserving its essential film-forming role. TMMP weakens Li⁺-solvent interactions, promotes anion-enriched solvation, and increases the Li⁺ transference number, thereby enhancing effective Li⁺ conductivity and lowering the desolvation barrier. The optimized minimum EC formulation (1E1T8D) forms ultrathin LiF-rich interphases on graphite and NCM811, enabling NCM811||graphite cells to retain 80% capacity after 500 cycles under 4C charging and a 4.5 V cutoff.