Small molecule activation and synthetic analogues: general discussion

Lithium–air batteries promise exceptional energy density while avoiding the use of
transition metals in their cathodes, however, their practical adoption is currently held
back by their short lifetimes. These short lifetimes are largely caused by electrolyte
breakdown, but despite extensive searching, an electrolyte resistant to breakdown has
yet to be found. This paper considers the requirements placed on an electrolyte for it to
be considered usable in a practical cell. We go on to examine ways, through judicious
cell design, of relaxing these requirements to allow for a broader range of compounds
to be considered. We conclude by suggesting types of molecules that could be
explored for future cells. With this work, we aim to broaden the scope of future
searches for electrolytes and inform new cell design