Thermoelectrochemical Seebeck coefficient and viscosity of Co-complex electrolytes rationalized by the Einstein relation, Jones-Dole coefficient, and quantum-chemical calculations.

The Seebeck coefficient (Se) and the viscosity of a redox electrolyte are the key characteristics of thermoelectrochemical cells that generate electric power from waste thermal energy. However, the recent upsurge of research in this field is seriously disconnected from the knowledge of solution chemistry explored in the previous century. Herein, we systematically investigate five redox couples of cobalt complexes containing different aromatic ligands and anions in γ-butyrolactone solvent to demonstrate how the Einstein relation of hydrodynamic theory and the Jones-Dole coefficient obtained from viscosity measurements can be used to account for such electrolyte properties.