(355a) Electrodeposition of Metals in Cross-Linked Polymer Electrolytes

This talk considers the stability of electrodeposition of metals on planar electrodes in semisolid structured electrolytes composed of cross-linked polymers. The emphasis is on understanding the role of electrolyte chemistry, thermal properties and elasticity in enabling secondary batteries in which metallic lithium or sodium serve as the electrode. Such batteries have been argued for decades to offer step-change improvements in electrochemical storage technology over today’s state-of-the art lithium ion batteries and are under active investigation worldwide for their potential to enable high-energy, portable energy storage solutions in multiple fields. Beginning with analyses of electrokinetics and transport phenomena in solid-state electrolytes, the talk will first evaluate stability limits of electrodeposition of metals in general. Building upon these results, I will explore materials design strategies for minimal electrolytes and electrochemical interphases for stabilizing deposition of reactive metals. I will also discuss contemporary efforts to evaluate these approaches using electroanalytical and direct visualization studies.