5 Key Takeaways

• 1

  A new workflow reveals how ionic liquids reorganize water and zinc ion solvation, aiding the design of high-voltage zinc batteries.

• 2

  Researchers screened 25 combinations of zinc salts and ionic liquids, identifying 16 stable single-phase electrolytes with low water content.

• 3

  The study focused on a zinc triflimide electrolyte with an imidazolium-based ionic liquid, enhancing structural and electrochemical analysis.

• 4

  The optimized low-water electrolyte showed a 3.8 V stability window and improved long-term zinc cycling performance.

• 5

  This research advances electrolyte design by understanding molecular arrangements, moving away from trial-and-error methods.