Harnessing the Power of Plastics: Nanostructured Polymer Systems in Lithium-Ion Batteries

Abstract

Nanostructure-forming polymers have tremendous potential to enhance the performance and safety of lithium-ion batteries (LiBs) as a result of their ability to simultaneously optimize often contradictory properties, such as ionic conductivity and mechanical stability, in a single material. These macromolecules can be harnessed in both LiB electrolyte and electrode components. With respect to electrolytes, advances in salt-doped and single-ion systems are highlighted herein with a focus on strategies that improve conductivities to rival that found in gel and liquid electrolytes, while also permitting further enhancements in electrochemical and mechanical stability. In the arena of electrodes, three major functions are considered: binders to maximize active material efficiency, polymer electrodes to enable fully organic LiBs, and sacrificial constructs that template high surface area, well-ordered metal oxide or metallic electrodes to improve electrode capacity. Additionally, the application of theory and simulation to streamline the development of key structure–property−processing relationships in ion-conducting nanomaterials is discussed. Finally, several next steps and future directions are suggested to accelerate the fabrication of next-generation LiBs.

Design Principles of Functional Polymer Separators for High‐Energy, Metal‐Based Batteries

“…The literature on batteries is rich in different designs of solid polymer electrolytes . One of the first was based on crystalline polyethers that were mixed with lithium salts, where ion transport occurred by successive binding and breaking of lithium ions and ether oxygen groups .…”

Organizing thermodynamic data obtained from multicomponent polymer electrolytes: Salt‐containing polymer blends and block copolymers

“…There is continued theoretical and experimental interest in understanding the thermodynamics and phase behavior of salt‐containing polymers due to their applications as solid electrolytes in rechargeable batteries . In this review, we consider the effect of added salt on mixtures of two dissimilar homopolymers, A and B, and AB diblock copolymers wherein two dissimilar chains are covalently bonded.…”

A Methoxyamine‐Protecting Group for Organic Radical Battery Materials—An Alternative Approach

“…The successful chain extension of this PMTMA macro‐RAFT agent further highlights the absence of RAFT end‐group aminolysis, which is a key advantage of the methoxyamine protection strategy. This enables the incorporation of the TEMPO moiety into more complicated macromolecular architectures, which are desirable for the fabrication of nanostructured organic electrodes …”