A highly soluble dimethoxybenzene derivative as a redox shuttle for overcharge protection of secondary lithium batteries

A compound 4-tertbutyl-1,2-dimethoxybenzene (TDB) was synthesized and tested as a redox shuttle for overcharge protection of Li-LiFePO4 batteries. This isomer of tertbutyl-substituted dimethoxybenzene is miscible with the organic polar electrolytes and provides a solution for the poor solubility of ditertbutyl-substituted 1,4-dimethoxybenzenes as a redox shuttle additive. The experimental results demonstrated that the shuttle molecules added in the electrolyte cannot only provide feasible overcharge protection, but also have indiscernible detrimental influences on the charge-discharge behaviors of Li-LiFePO4 cells, showing a great prospect for practical applications in commercial rechargeable lithium batteries. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.