[alok-g]

Can someone please explain why electrons also cannot go directly through the electrolyte just like Lithium ions? Footnote 1 skips explaining this. I tried asking ChatGPT, but it is not getting to a complete answer. It says things that just pushes the question into another form.

[Shitty-kitty]

An ion is a atom that has lost electrons and thus it has a + charge. The electrons are the - charge. The electrolyte allows + to flow but not -

[alok-g]

Cool! That seems to fit as the voltage build-up (assuming no current taken from the battery) is not reversed by the negative ions flowing backwards.

I still have the question though. How does the electrolyte do that? :-)

[Tuna-Fish]

Electrons require significant voltage to move through free space or insulators. They generally move between places by hopping between atoms with free outer electrons. Electrolytes are designed to not have any.

[alok-g]

That sounds better. Still leads to some questions that I am missing the answers to:

A Lithium ion has the same charge in magnitude as an elecron. Electron is much lighter. Why and how is it that Li+ ions are able to, but electrons can't?

A same number of ions and electrons should be generating on the electrodes.

>> Generally move

When there no free electron space in atoms, instead of electrons being stuck, should still move the electrolyte as free particles just like ions.

Seems like they can't in this case. Why not?