Designing an intrinsically safe organic electrolyte for rechargeable batteries

Abstract Since the considerable attention paid on advanced energy storage devices, the electrochemical performance of rechargeable batteries has witnessed a giant leap with high reversibility and efficiency. Towards further practical development, safety issues nowadays remain a significant challenge and call for careful internal safety management. In the closed battery system, conventional volatile organic electrolyte would cause an increasing internal pressure and trigger more serious hazardous risks especially under abuse conditions, called well-known “thermal runaway”. Liquid phosphorous-containing electrolyte exhibited efficient flame-retardant capability owing to the radical scavenging mechanism and gained extensive attention in designing intrinsically safe organic electrolytes. The biggest bottleneck for their broad application lies in the interfacial incompatibility. Herein, we systematically summarized the recent progress and effective solutions aimed for interfacial modification. A deep understanding of the function mechanism opens a profound insight into compatible safe electrolyte formulation in various rechargeable batteries (lithium, sodium, zinc batteries). This review sheds light on the essential role of phosphorous-containing electrolytes and provides a comprehensive perspective for next-generation intrinsically safe rechargeable batteries.