Scientific Achievement
The addition of salt to block copolymers results in the spontaneous and surprising formation of well-ordered lamellae in a sample that originally had a disordered morphology.
Significance and Impact
The geometry of ion-conducting pathways (bright domains) is crucial for both prevention of dendrite formation at the lithium metal anode and for conducting ions between the battery electrodes.
Research Details
- The morphology-conductivity relationship of a solid block copolymer electrolyte was studied by combining X-ray scattering, electron microscopy and electrochemical characterization.
- Conductivity data contained three separate local maxima that had not been previously identified.
- The maxima were related to morphological transitions.
