(214a) Charge Neutral Polymer Complexes as Battery Components

Polymeric components impart inherent mechanical durability and decreased flammability to electrochemical devices, but must have higher performance metrics in order to gain widespread use. This is a particular challenge as long-range Lithium ion transport is directly related to the viscosity matrix material and is ultimately limited by the sluggish dynamics of polymers. In this talk, I will discuss superionic conductivity in which the ion motion is decoupled from matrix dynamics and instead occurs through free volume elements in the structure. I will discuss our work to design semi-crystalline zwitterionic polymers that demonstrate superionic conductivity and also very high salt solubilities due to their polarizability. As a result, they have both high Lithium ion conductivities (10-3 S/cm) and cation transport numbers (t+=0.67) despite their modest glass transition temperatures (0-25°C). I will also discuss new coacervate-inspired battery binders that demonstrate both high ion and electron conductivities and their use to in composite electrodes compatible with polymer electrolytes.