Nanostructured Ion Conductor Design for Highly Efficient Ion Transport

As a principal component of ion conducting devices (ICDs), solid-state ion conductors (SSICs) possess distinctive merits, including no leakage, low flammability, no volatility, high thermal stability and electrochemical stability, offering a path to realize devices with high safety and high specific performance. Nonetheless, the rapid expansion of SSICs-based ICDs is largely restricted owing to the low ionic conductivity and poor interface contact behavior of SSICs. One practicable solution, albeit challenging, is utilizing SSICs with nano morphology because of the fast ion transport rate in nanochannels and the tight interface contact of nanomaterials. This paper provides an overview of the new advances in developing nano ion conductors with high ionic conductivity. We describe the typical ion transport mechanisms in nanochannels as well as the development and regulation methods of nano ion conductors, with special emphasis on the influence of nanostructure on the ion transport of integrated ion conductors. Moreover, we also discuss the representative challenges in designing nano ion conductors with high ionic conductivity from personal perspectives, and afford some possible design directions for constructing exceedingly good nano ion conductors for current iontronic devices.