Solid polymeric electrolytes high-conductivity

New solid electrolytes with high electric conductivity from polymeric nanofoams. Development of new methods for catalysts application over electrodes for fuel cells. Nanotechnology and its application to hydrogen storage. 

Ion conducting polymers may be preferable in these devices electrolytes because of their flexibility, moldability, easy fabrication and chemical stability (for the same reasons that they have been applied to lithium secondary batteries [19,48,49]). The gel electrolyte systems, which consist of a polymeric matrix, organic solvent (plasticizer) and supporting electrolyte, show high ionic conductivity about 10 5 S cnr1 at ambient temperature and have sufficient mechanical strength [5,7,50,51], Therefore, the gel electrolyte systems are superior to solid polymer electrolytes and organic solvent-based electrolytes as batteries and capacitor materials for ambient temperature operation. 

Some vinyl fluoride-based polymers with side chains of perfluorosulfonic acid (the Nation family) are important ion-exchange membrane materials used in practice for electrolysis of NaCl and in certain fuel cells. They show a proton conductivity of 0.01 S cm- at room temperature. However, such fast ionic transport occurs only when they are swollen with water. It is therefore not appropriate to call them solid electrolytes in the tme sense of the word. It was in 1970 that anionic conductivity, though not high, was reported for crown ether complexes such as dibenzo-18-crown-6 KSCN, in which cations are trapped by the ligand. " A few years later much higher cationic (instead of anionic) conduction was found in complexes of a chain-like polyether such as PEO or PPO with alkaline salts here, PEO stands for poly(ethyleneoxide), (CHjCHj-O), and PPO for poly(propyleneoxide)."2>"3 These were the flrst examples of tme polymer solid electrolytes and were followed by a great number of studies. Polymeric electrolytes are advantageous in practice because they are easily processed and formed into flexible Aims. 

The segmental motion of the polymer is important to design polymeric solid electrolytes with high ionic conductivity. Lower T... 

Until a few years ago it was not possible to realize high capacitance and low ESR solid electrolyte capacitors with conductive polymer dispersions. Therefore, today, in situ polymerization is mainly used for conductive polymer processing in electrolytic capacitors. In situ polymerization can either be conducted by electrolytic oxidation or by chemical oxidation. 

Modem solid state batteries nse polymeric electrolytes. Heteroatom containing high molecular weight polymers can conduct alkali metals. 

To address the zinc dendrite problem in nickel-zinc cells, eVionyx claims to have developed a proprietary membrane system that is nonporous, has very high ionic conductivity, is of low cost, and can block zinc dendrite penetration even in high concentrations of KOH. The polymeric membrane has an ionic species contained in a solution phase thereof. The ionic species behaves like a liquid electrolyte, while at the same time the polymer-based solid gel membrane provides a smooth impenetrable surface that allows the exchange of ions for both discharging and charging of the cell. 

Polyethylene oxide) associates in solution with certain electrolytes (48—52). For example, high molecular weight species of poly(ethylene oxide) readily dissolve in methanol that contains 0.5 wt % KI, although the resin does not remain in methanol solution at room temperature. This salting-in effect has been attributed to ion binding, which prevents coagulation in the nonsolvent. Complexes with electrolytes, in particular lithium salts, have received widespread attention on account of the potential for using these materials in a polymeric battery. The performance of solid electrolytes based on poly(ethylene oxide) in terms of ion transport and conductivity has been discussed (53—58). The use of complexes of poly(ethylene oxide) in analytical chemistry has also been reviewed (59). 

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