Synthesis and characterization of novel non-fluorinated tri-lithium imide salts for use in lithium-ion battery electrolytes

Approaches to non-fluorinated tri-lithium salts for lithium-ion battery electrolytes have been investigated and one-pot syntheses of three new salts TLS-1, TLS-2 and TLS-3 are reported. These unusual lithium salts containing the N–Li moiety offer the potential for significant cost savings over the current battery standard, while exhibiting superior performance characteristics, including conductivities as high as 2.86 mS/cm, electrochemical stabilities from 0 to > 4.5 V, good solubilities in DMF, DMSO, and sulfolane, and compatibility with standard Li-ion cell electrode materials. Very good thermostability, measured by TGA and DSC, is also observed.