3D Printed Solid Polymer Electrolytes with Bicontinuous Nanoscopic Domains for Ionic Liquid Conduction and Energy...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Polymer Chemistry

Background:

• Solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) are researched as safer alternatives to liquid electrolytes in energy storage.
• Enhancing mechanical properties while maintaining ionic conductivity in SPEs remains a key challenge.
• Polymerization-induced microphase separation (PIMS) enables the fabrication of nanostructured materials with tunable properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To prepare 3D-printed solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) with independently tunable mechanical properties and ionic conductivities.
• To utilize the polymerization-induced microphase separation (PIMS) technique for creating nanostructured ion-conducting materials.
• To assess the potential of these SPEs for advanced energy storage applications.

Main Methods:

• Digital light processing (DLP) 3D printing was employed to fabricate the SPEs.
• The PIMS process was utilized to create bicontinuous nanostructures within the electrolytes.
• Mechanical properties (shear modulus) and ionic conductivity were characterized at room temperature and 30 °C.

Main Results:

• The 3D-printed SPEs exhibited a high room temperature shear modulus exceeding 400 MPa due to a rigid crosslinked polymer scaffold.
• Soft domains containing an ionic liquid achieved ionic conductivity up to 1.2 mS cm⁻¹ at 30 °C.
• The materials demonstrated tunable mechanical and conductive properties suitable for energy storage.

Conclusions:

• 3D-printed SPEs fabricated via PIMS offer a promising route to advanced ion-conducting materials.
• These SPEs possess a unique combination of mechanical robustness and ionic conductivity.
• The developed materials are competitive for applications in all-solid-state energy storage devices, including supercapacitors.