CIC energiGUNE, a leading Basque research center in electrochemical energy storage and conversion and thermal energy storage and conversion, will promote the development of innovative electrolytes for fluorine-free lithium-metal batteries, which will improve their efficiency and, above all, their sustainability by reducing their environmental impact. The launch of this initiative is a direct consequence of the award of a Marie Curie Fellowship (MSCA) to CIC energiGUNE postdoctoral researcher Juan Forero-Saboya to launch the NoF-LIME project, led by the Basque center and in which Boston College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) collaborate.

"The combination of expertise and the focus on a more sustainable and environmentally friendly electrolyte could mark a significant change in the development of next-generation batteries" announced CIC energiGUNE´s Scientific Director, Montse Casas-Cabanas, who will serve as Juan Forero-Saboya´s supervisor at the Basque center. "We are convinced that the success of this project will mark a substantial leap from the conventional reliance on fluorine-rich compounds, showing the potential to formulate more sustainable electrolytes," she said.

Juan Forero-Saboya, who is part of the Organic and Hybrid Materials Research Groups at CIC energiGUNE, will start the development of the NoF-LIME project at Boston College. During the first 8 months, he will work on the design and synthesis of novel salts for the electrolyte at Boston College, under the supervision of Dr. Alexis Grimaud, a specialist in electrolyte formulation and evaluation.