Toward a Single-Ion Nanocomposite Electrolyte for Lithium Batteries

Lithium ion battery has been widely used nowadays. Occurrence of polarization has been a problem in the currently used electrolyte, especially in high-current application such as hybrid vehicles. In this work we modified silica nanoparticles with polyelectrolytes containing anion groups, lithium cation is the counterion. To get the lithium conductor, the polymer modified nanoparticles were blended with poly(ethylene oxide) oligomer. Movement of the anions were largely restricted by surface anchored polymer backbones, lithium ion became the only ion that is conducting current. Four different polymer structures were explored in this study, aiming at improving conductivity of the material. FTIR and TGA were used to prove successful synthesis of the polymer modified particles. AC impedance was used to measure the conductivity with a room temperature conductivity above 10-5 S/cm. This composite electrolyte has the potential to suppress lithium dendrite growth and enable the use of lithium metal anode in rechargeable batteries.