An Efficient and Facile Electrochemical Process for Production of High-Quality Lithium Hexafluorophosphate Electrolyte.

The global consumption for lithium hexafluorophosphate (LiPF6) has increased dramatically with the rapid growth of Li-ion batteries (LIBs) for large-scale electric energy storage applications. Conventional LiPF6 production is high cost and energy-consuming due to complicate separation and purification processes. Here, based on the electrode materials of LiMn2O4 and Polyaniline (PANI), we propose a facile electrochemical extraction/release process for LiPF6 electrolyte production. This new technology consists of two independent steps: a PF6- and Li+ extracting step using a PANI/LixMn2O4 cell in aqueous solution (an ion extraction step), and a LiPF6 electrolyte production step from the charged LiMn2O4/PANI+PF6- cell in an organic electrolyte (an ion release step). This new process can effectively avoids the contamination of HF residue in the final product, providing a great possibility to create a facile, energy-efficient, and low-cost LiPF6 electrolyte production.