Long range structure in water-in-salt electrolytes

Water-in-salt electrolytes (WiSEs) are a new class of highly concentrated electrolyte. They have recently come to the forefront of battery research owing to their desirable properties: they can be safer, less expensive, and more environmentally friendly than traditional electrolytes currently used in state-of-the-art batteries. Recently we have investigated surface forces present in a water-in-salt electrolyte at an interface, and found evidence of periodic structure with a characteristic length scale of 12 - 14 Angstroms, and a further screening force with decay length on the order of 50 angstroms. The aim of the proposed experiment is to investigate the occurrence of these forces in the bulk liquid, and to determine their origin. These results will have significant implications for the mechanism of lithium ion transport within WiSEs and be key to the design of future batteries.