1,3,6-Hexanetricarbonitrile (HTN) is the by-product in the process of adiponitrile synthesis. In 1960, Monsanto Company developed adiponitrile production process in bulk firstly. And then Asahi Kasei company in Japan developed the emulsification process to produce adiponitrile. At that time, by-product HTN of adiponitrile production was as waste due to few researches on it.

Since entering the 21st century, with the development and application of Li-ion battery technology, researchers found that the compounds with CN group as electrolyte additive can improve electrochemical performance for Li-ion battery. And some researches carried out their study on HTN additive. It was found that HTN as electrolyte additive can broaden the oxidation potential of the electrolyte and enhance the electrochemical performance of the cathode under high operating voltage.

Wang et al. (Journal of power sources 2017, 361, 227-236) found incorporation of 1% HTN into the electrolyte can significantly improve the cycling stability and rate capability of the cathode material. This is mainly attributed to the formation of more stable and effective electrode/electrolyte interface film on the cathode surface. HTN can also effectively lower the interfacial resistance, suppress the decomposition of the electrolyte.

(Source: Journal of power sources 2017, 361, 227-236)

In the future, high voltage electrolyte is a development orientation for Li-ion battery; the additives with improving high voltage performance of electrolyte will attract more interest. The unique high voltage performance for HTN will make it widely used.

Edited by Suzhou Yacoo Science Co., Ltd.