Glycerol carbonate and solketal carbonate as circular economy bricks for supercapacitors and potassium batteries

Considering the worldwide market of batteries and supercapacitors, the (partial or total) replacement of conventional fossil-derived carbonates with bio-based ones in electrolyte formulations would allow the production of safer and more sustainable devices. In this work, embracing the 7th principle of green chemistry, glycerol derivatives (namely glycerol carbonate and solketal carbonate) are tested as solvents and additives for electrolyte formulations. Glycerol carbonate is innovatively employed as promising electrolyte solvent for electric double-layer capacitors with excellent performances. On the other hand, a solketal carbonate-laden liquid electrolyte is investigated for potassium-based batteries, showing a rather stable electrochemical behaviour and performance close to those of commercial oil-derived alternatives.