(80g) Novel Composite Polymer Electrolytes Utilizing Ti3C2Tx Mxene and Cationic Covalent Organic Frameworks to Enhance Performance of Lithium Metal Batteries

The rising demand for safer rechargeable lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) for electronic gadgets and electric vehicles (EVs) is being addressed through the innovation of all-solid-state lithium metal batteries, promising a resolution to the hazards of battery explosions associated with current LIB technologies. This study introduces the use of Ti₃C₂T_x MXene and two novel cationic covalent organic frameworks (cCOFs), a porphyrin-based COF (POR-COF) and an ethidium bromide-based COF (EB-COF), as fillers and components used for creating composite polymer electrolytes, aiming to overcome the critical challenges of low ionic conductivity. This research conducts a comparative analysis of electrolytes' ionic conductivities. To establish correlation between composition of the electrolyte and its performance, X-ray Diffraction, X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy, Differential Scanning Calorimetry, and Lithium Solid-State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance are were utilized. A 5-fold increase in ionic conductivity with the incorporation of COF to MXene-polymer electrolyte was observed. The decrease in crystallinity of COF-MXene-polymer compared to the MXene-polymer was attributed to the observed trend in ionic conductivity. In addition to this, the integration of nanochannels within the COFs provides effective pathways for lithium ion transport, reducing the diffusion energy barrier. This results highlight the MXene-COF composite electrolytes as promising candidates for advancing the field of high-performance solid-state batteries.