Mechanism of Dissolution of a Lithium Salt in an Electrolytic Solvent in a Lithium Ion Secondary Battery: A Direct Ab Initio Molecular Dynamics (AIMD) Study

The mechanism of dissolution of the Li⁺ ion in an electrolytic solvent is investigated by the direct ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) method. Lithium fluoroborate (Li⁺BF₄^?) and ethylene carbonate (EC) are examined as the origin of the Li⁺ ion and the solvent molecule, respectively. This salt is widely utilized as the electrolyte in the lithium ion secondary battery. The binding of EC to the Li⁺ moiety of the Li⁺BF₄^? salt is exothermic, and the binding energies at the CAM–B3LYP/6‐311++G(d,p) level for n=1, 2, 3, and 4, where n is the number of EC molecules binding to the Li⁺ ion, (EC)_n(Li⁺BF₄^?), are calculated to be 91.5, 89.8, 87.2, and 84.0 kcal mol^?1 (per EC molecule), respectively. The intermolecular distances between Li⁺ and the F atom of BF₄^? are elongated: 1.773 Å (n=0), 1.820 Å (n=1), 1.974 Å (n=2), 1.942 Å (n=3), and 4.156 Å (n=4). The atomic bond populations between Li⁺ and the F atom for n=0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 are 0.202, 0.186, 0.150, 0.038, and 0.0, respectively. These results indicate that the interaction of Li⁺ with BF₄^? becomes weaker as the number of EC molecules is increased. The direct AIMD calculation for n=4 shows that EC reacts spontaneously with (EC)₃(Li⁺BF₄^?) and the Li⁺ ion is stripped from the salt. The following substitution reaction takes place: EC+(EC)₃(Li⁺BF₄^?)→(EC)₄Li⁺?(BF₄^?). The reaction mechanism is discussed on the basis of the theoretical results.