Nanoscale Hybrid Electrolytes with Viscosity Controlled Using Ionic Stimulus for Electrochemical Energy Conversion...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Chemical Engineering

Background:

• Renewable energy integration necessitates efficient electricity storage solutions.
• Flow batteries and CO2 conversion are promising energy storage technologies.
• Next-generation electrolyte materials are crucial for enhancing energy density and CO2 capture.

Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate the impact of salt addition on nanoparticle organic hybrid materials (NOHMs) for electrolytes.
• Understand how salt affects NOHM solution viscosity and polymer structure.
• Determine the influence of these changes on transport properties.

Main Methods:

• Synthesized NOHM-I-HPE electrolytes.
• Studied the effect of 0.1 M NaCl addition.
• Measured solution viscosity, hydrodynamic diameter, and self-diffusion coefficients.
• Compared NOHM-I-HPE behavior with untethered polyetheramine (HPE).

Main Results:

• 0.1 M NaCl addition reduced NOHM electrolyte viscosity by up to 90%.
• Salt addition decreased the hydrodynamic diameter of NOHM-I-HPE.
• The self-diffusion coefficient of NOHM-I-HPE increased significantly with salt.
• Untethered HPE behavior remained unaffected by ionic strength changes.

Conclusions:

• Salt addition induces significant conformational changes in NOHM polymer canopies.
• Ionic stimulus fundamentally alters NOHM bulk transport properties and local dynamics.
• These findings enable tailoring NOHM transport properties for electrochemical applications like flow batteries and CO2 capture.