Scientific Achievement
Our team identified several polymer electrolytes that outperform Li-ion transport in PEO by nearly 150% based on conductivity and current fraction measurements.
Significance and Impact
Non-flammable polymer electrolytes mitigate safety concerns in Li-ion batteries but suffer from poor ion transport properties. We designed and studied a systematic series of polymer in order to identify structure-property trends that allow us to design and identify high-performance polymer electrolytes.
Research Details
- The Coates Group synthesized a series of five polyacetal polymer electrolytes by systematically changing the ratio of ethylene oxide (EO) to methylene oxide (MO) units in the polymer
- The Balsara Group measured Li-ion conductivity and current fraction in the polymers. Although conductivity decreased four-fold with increasing MO content, the current fraction increased nearly five-fold
- We calculated the overall efficacy of Li-ion transport in the polymer electrolytes. Several polymers showed higher efficacy than PEO.
