Unlike common battery electrolytes which are liquid at room temperature, or solid-state electrolytes under development, the team at South 8 Technologies is the first to develop and commercialize a novel, patented Liquefied Gas Electrolyte (LiGas™), for next-generation electrochemical energy storage devices. These non-toxic electrolytes use solvents that are normally gaseous at standard pressure and room temperature but may be liquefied under a moderate pressure and used as an electrolyte within the cell.
In contrast to conventional liquid electrolytes which are a catalyst for thermal runaway, the non-toxic LiGas electrolytes may safely and quickly vent from a cell after physical or electrical abuse (ex. crush, high temperature, short circuit) allowing the cell to fail safely without thermal runaway reactions or thermal propagation to neighboring cells.
The intrinsically high chemical stability of the LiGas electrolytes allow the use of the highest energy materials available.
Due to their low freezing point and low viscosity, LiGas electrolytes exhibit exceptionally high conductivity at low temperatures and will continue to perform well at temperatures as low as -80 °C.
The LiGas chemistry has excellent compatibility with the majority of today’s most common materials and manufacturing techniques.
This innovation is designed to power tomorrow’s technologies and serve the growing markets of all-weather grid storage, electric vehicles, and high-atmosphere drones.