(196y) Polymerized Ionic Liquid Pentablock Terpolymer for Lithium-Metal Batteries

Lithium-ion batteries are currently the leading commercial technology for portable electronic devices and electric vehicles. However, new solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) that comprehensively possess the preferred properties of high ion conductivity, high electrochemical stability, robust mechanical properties, flexibility, and good film forming properties, are required to improve the overall capacitance and lifetime of batteries and overcome the limitations of current liquid electrolytes (flammability, low electrochemical stability, and short battery lifetime). Compared with liquid electrolytes, SPEs still suffer from poor room temperature ionic conductivity and have been limited from commercial applications. Polymerized ionic liquid block copolymers (PILBCPs) are new type of SPEs combining the benefits of both ionic liquids (e.g., high ionic conductivity and electrochemical stability) and block copolymers (e.g., self-assembled nanostructured morphologies), which make them the promising materials for electrochemical devices. In this study, a polymerized ionic liquid (PIL) ABCBA pentablock terpolymer (PILPTP) containing tert-butylstyrene as the A outer blocks, ethylene-propylene as the B blocks, and a pyrrolidinium functionalized styrene PIL as the inner C midblock was investigated for batteries. The electrochemical properties of this PILPTP were characterized by linear sweep voltammetry, cyclic voltammetry, and impedance spectroscopy. Preliminary lithium-metal batteries performance with this PILPTP as the electrolyte and separator were also investigated.