New cyclic carbonate solvent for lithium ion batteries:: trans-2,3-butylene carbonate

A new cyclic carbonate useful for lithium ion batteries with graphitic carbon anode is presented. Although it is structurally very similar to propylene carbonate, it is much less reactive toward graphite than propylene carbonate. The decrease in the reactivity can be explained in terms of its unique geometry that hinders its co-intercalation into the layer spacing of graphite structure. We demonstrate that electrolytes containing this solvent exhibit a satisfactory initial efficiency and discharge performance at low temperature. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.