Patent ID: 7585579

Claim:
An electrolyte solution for a metal-oxygen battery, the electrolyte comprising: a lithium salt selected from the group consisting of LiPF 6 , LiBF 4 , LiClO 4 , LiC(SO 2 CF 3 ) 3 , LiN(SO 2 CF 3 ) 2 , LiO 3 SCF 2 CF 3 , LiO 3 SC 6 F 5 , LiO 2 CCF 3 , LiP(C 6 H5) 4 , LiCF 3 SO 3 ; a non-aqueous solvent selected from the group of solvents having an oxygen solubility of greater than 0.1632 cc O 2 /cc solvent at STP consisting of dimethyl carbonate (DMC), dipropyl carbonate (DPC), diethyl carbonate (DEC), ethyl methyl carbonate (EMC), tetrahydrofuran (THF), and 1,2-dimethoxyethane (DME), in combination with one or more solvents having an oxygen solubility of less than 0.1150 cc O 2 /cc solvent at STP selected from a group consisting of propylene carbonate (PC), ethylene carbonate (EC), and γ-butyrolactone (γ-BL); wherein the oxygen solubility of the solvent combination is at least 0.1150 cc O 2 /cc at STP; and wherein oxygen is reduced at a cathode surface of the metal-oxygen battery to produce O −2 or O 2 −2 ions and an increase in the amount of dissolved oxygen in the electrolyte increases the specific capacity of the cathode.