Lithium-ion batteries operating at ultrawide temperature range from −90 to +90 °C

Enabling the power operating in a wide temperature range is of great significance for next-generation removable devices, and none of the existing batteries met the temperature requirement from ultralow to ultrahigh. Herein, lithium-ion batteries operating in an ultrawide temperature range of −90 to +90 °C were fabricated using a cost-effective method. Electrolytes with weak solvent/Li⁺ interaction, high electrochemical stability, and ultrawide liquid temperature range are key factors for excellent performance. The activation energy can be lower than 0.4 eV at ultralow temperatures. The introduction of butyronitrile in the electrolyte reduces the interaction between solvents and lithium salts on the one hand and broadens the electrochemical window up to more than 5 V. The liquid temperature range of the electrolyte is from nearly −150 °C to more than 100 °C. Surprisingly, the discharging capacity of the batteries at −90 °C can be more than 60% of that at room temperature (RT). The charging capacity at −70 °C can be up to 62% of that at RT. Moreover, the batteries can also operate at +90 °C, and the capacity retention can be more than 85% after 40 cycles. These results reveal a cost-effective method to develop ultrawide temperature range batteries.