Transference Number of Electrolytes from the Velocity of a Single Species Measured by Electrophoretic NMR

Accurate measurement of the cation transference number is critical for designing batteries with a given electrolyte. A promising approach for measuring this parameter is electrophoretic NMR (eNMR). In the standard approach, the average cation, anion, and solvent velocities under an applied electric field are used to estimate the cation transference number with respect to the solvent velocity, t(+)(0) . In this study, we show that t(+)(0) can be determined from measurements of the electric -field-induced velocities of individual species. The t(+)(0 )values obtained from eNMR experiments on a model electrolyte (LiTFSI/tetraglyme) based on single species velocities are consistent with the standard approach. An important parameter that enters into the analysis is the velocity of the electrode-electrolyte interface which must be finite in an eNMR experiment. Agreement is only obtained after accounting for this velocity. The single-species approach is particularly valuable when one or more components of the electrolytic mixture are not easily accessible by NMR, for example zinc and magnesium cations.

Automated summary

Accurate measurement of cation transference number is crucial for battery design. Electrophoretic NMR (eNMR) is a promising method for measuring this parameter. In this study, we demonstrate that the cation transference number can be determined from individual species' velocities induced by an electric field. The results obtained from eNMR experiments on a model electrolyte are consistent with the standard approach after accounting for the electrode-electrolyte interface velocity.