Article
Chemistry, Physical
Jingfeng Zheng, Luke Schkeryantz, Gerald Gourdin, Lei Qin, Yiying Wu
Summary: Potassium batteries have attracted considerable attention from researchers, with traditional liquid electrolytes raising safety concerns. A new single potassium-ion conducting polymer, KPSTFSA, was synthesized to address this issue, showing high ionic conductivity and potassium ion transference number compared to traditional electrolytes. The electrochemical stability of the polymer gel electrolyte was studied systematically, revealing the instability of the polystyrene structure of KPSTFSA.
ACS APPLIED ENERGY MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Thorben Boeger, Tim Bernges, Yuheng Li, Pieremanuele Canepa, Wolfgang G. Zeier
Summary: Solid electrolytes and solid-state batteries are gaining attention as a potential alternative to lithium-ion batteries, with increased energy density and safety. However, little is known about the thermal transport properties of solid electrolytes. This study reports the thermal properties of electrolytes in the argyrodite family and Li10GeP2S12 at different temperatures and porosities, finding that the thermal conductivities of solid electrolytes are similar to liquid electrolytes.
ACS APPLIED ENERGY MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Polymer Science
Jiyoung Lee, Seonho Kim, Hyeoksu Kwon, Seungyun Jo, Du Yeol Ryu, U. Hyeok Choi, Byeong-Su Kim
Summary: Solid polymer electrolytes are potential alternatives to address safety concerns with liquid electrolytes. A new type of polyether-based single-ion-conducting solid polymer electrolyte was developed, which can be tailored with different functional groups. By introducing tri(ethylene glycol) and succinonitrile, the ionic conductivity of the electrolyte was significantly increased.
Review
Chemistry, Physical
Yue Huang, Ruiming Qiu, Wenchao Lian, Libin Lei, Tong Liu, Jihao Zhang, Yao Wang, Jianping Liu, Jin Huang, Fanglin Chen
Summary: This review summarizes five methods for determining the electrical conduction properties of mixed ionic-electronic conducting (MIEC) oxides and discusses their modifications considering electrode polarization and operation conditions. The application of these methods in assessing the conduction properties of triple ionic-electronic conducting (TIEC) oxides is highlighted, and the reliability and applicability of these methods are elaborated and compared.
JOURNAL OF POWER SOURCES
(2022)
Review
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Alexander Mayer, Dominik Steinle, Stefano Passerini, Dominic Bresser
Summary: This article reviews the research progress of block copolymer electrolytes, with a specific focus on their nanostructure and ionic conductivity. The impact of adding a lithium salt compared to single-ion conducting BCP electrolytes is also discussed, along with the promising features of these materials and the remaining challenges.
Article
Electrochemistry
Elena Lozinskaya, Denis O. Ponkratov, Inna A. Malyshkina, Patrick Grysan, Gabriele Lingua, Claudio Gerbaldi, Alexander S. Shaplov, Yakov S. Vygodskii
Summary: In this study, a series of single-ion conducting block copolymers with high ionic conductivity and stable electrochemical performance were synthesized via RAFT copolymerization for solid-state lithium batteries.
ELECTROCHIMICA ACTA
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Ceramics
Zeze Cao, Peng Zhang, Tao Wang, Lifang Hu, Haiting Liu, Shaobo Ning
Summary: AgI-based Ge-Ga-S, Ge-Ga-Se, and Ge-Ga-Te ion-conducting glasses with different sulphur group elements were prepared. The thermodynamic stability and electrical properties were examined and compared. Among the glasses, Ge-Ga-S-AgI exhibited the best thermodynamic stability and glass-forming ability, highest ionic conductivity (1.33 x 10(-7) S/cm) at room temperature, and lowest conductivity activation energy (0.41 eV). The study also revealed the role of structural units in facilitating the transport of Ag+ ions in different series of glasses.
CERAMICS INTERNATIONAL
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Li Qin, Shuhao Zhu, Chao Cheng, Dongxu Wu, Guangyuan Wang, Linrui Hou, Changzhou Yuan
Summary: Recently, Li-ion capacitors (LICs) have gained significant attention due to their high energy/power density and long cycle life. However, the slow kinetics and stability of the involved anodes have always limited the performance of these devices. Therefore, it is crucial to explore advanced anodes with high ionic and electronic conductivities, as well as structural stability, for practical applications of LICs.
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Daria Voropaeva, Svetlana Novikova, Nikolay Trofimenko, Andrey Yaroslavtsev
Summary: Lithium metal batteries show potential as replacements for lithium-ion batteries, but dendrite formation limits their commercial application. This study introduces a new electrolyte with good ionic conductivity and electrochemical stability to address this issue.
Article
Polymer Science
Jinseok Park, Anne Staiger, Stefan Mecking, Karen Winey
Summary: Enhanced Li+ transport is demonstrated through selectively solvated ionic layers of a single-ion conducting polymer. The solvation of ionic domains with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) accelerates structural relaxation and dissociation of ion pairs, leading to a significant enhancement of ion transport.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jinseok Park, Anne Staiger, Stefan Mecking, Karen Winey
Summary: By investigating the temperature, we explored the phase behavior and interaction parameter of polyethylene-based multiblock copolymers. These copolymers exhibit layered morphologies with semicrystalline polyethylene blocks, showing ultrahigh compatibility between polar ionic and nonpolar polyethylene segments.
Article
Polymer Science
Nicolas Goujon, Tiago Mendes, Kristine J. Barlow, Robert Kerr, Luke A. O'Dell, John Chiefari, Patrick C. Howlett, Maria Forsyth
Summary: In this study, the use of single-ion conducting block copolymer (SIC) as an additional lithium salt additive to a ternary solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) was described. The impact of SIC concentration on the phase behavior and transport properties of the SPEs was investigated, and the electrochemical performance and cycling performance of the SPEs were also assessed. The results demonstrate that PIL block copolymer-IL-salt composites are a promising choice of electrolyte for the next generation of solid-state high energy density lithium metal batteries.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED POLYMER SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Polymer Science
Laura C. Loaiza, Patrik Johansson
Summary: This study suggests and explores an intrinsically synergetic design to improve the ionic conductivity of single-ion conductors (SICs) by doping with a common battery Li-salt. The results show that doping with 50-70 wt% LiTFSI significantly enhances the charge carrier dynamics and ionic conductivity of the materials. These findings open new avenues for the application of SICs in lithium batteries.
MACROMOLECULAR CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Polymer Science
Alexander Mayer, Huu-Dat Nguyen, Alessandro Mariani, Thomas Diemant, Sandrine Lyonnard, Cristina Iojoiu, Stefano Passerini, Dominic Bresser
Summary: The presence of fluorine in lithium batteries has both beneficial effects on performance and drawbacks on recyclability and biodegradability. A fluorine-free single-ion conducting copolymer electrolyte was compared with a fluorinated analogue. The absence of fluorine in the copolymer backbone had little impact on basic electrochemical properties but severely affected electrochemical and interfacial stability. Careful design of the polymer electrolyte is crucial for different applications.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Priyadarshini Mirmira, Claire Fuschi, Walker Gillett, Peiyuan Ma, Jin Zheng, Zachary D. Hood, Chibueze V. Amanchukwu
Summary: Hybrid ceramic-polymer solid state electrolytes show promise for high energy-density lithium metal batteries. Our work demonstrates that using nonconductive, nonreactive polymers in hybrid electrolytes can improve conductivity and enable longer term lithium cycling.
ACS APPLIED ENERGY MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Marcel Eck, Simon Timm Schwab, Taylor Frederick Nelson, Katrin Wurst, Steffen Iberl, David Schleheck, Christoph Link, Glauco Battagliarin, Stefan Mecking
Summary: We have developed a new polyester material using biobased 1,18-octadecanedicarboxylic acid and ethylene glycol, which has a solid-state structure similar to polyethylene and comparable tensile properties to high density polyethylene (HDPE). Despite its crystallinity, high melting point and hydrophobic nature, the polyester-2,18 can be rapidly and completely hydrolytically degraded in vitro by naturally occurring enzymes. It also shows high biodegradability under industrial composting conditions and can be depolymerized by methanolysis for closed-loop recycling.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Hyewon Park, Hyeonjung Park, Hyungju Ahn, Wooseop Lee, Jinseok Park, Bumjoon J. Kim, Dong Ki Yoon
Summary: Nanoconfinement is an effective strategy to control the orientations and orderings of conjugated polymers (CPs). The study investigates the chain orientations of two crystal polymorphs, Form I and Form II, in poly(3dodecylthiophene)s (P3DDTs) using a porous anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) template. The results show that the pore diameter of the AAO template and the regioregularity (RR) of P3DDTs affect the orientational changes of Form I and Form II crystals, providing guidelines for achieving CPs with controlled intermolecular assembly and chain orientations.
CHEMISTRY OF MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Polymer Science
Roshni John Chethalen, Eli J. Fastow, E. Bryan Coughlin, Karen I. Winey
Summary: Polyolefins, the main components of plastic waste, lose their properties and value during conventional mechanical recycling. However, this study demonstrates the potential of functionalizing polyolefins using thiol-ene click chemistry to improve their properties. The reaction conditions can be manipulated to achieve different levels of functionalization.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Soodeok Seo, Jin-Woo Lee, Dong Jun Kim, Dongchan Lee, Tan Ngoc-Lan Phan, Jinseok Park, Zhengping Tan, Shinuk Cho, Taek-Soo Kim, Bumjoon J. Kim
Summary: This study achieves highly efficient (PCE = 18%) and mechanically robust (COS = 18%) polymer solar cells (PSC) by designing block copolymer (BCP) donors, PM6-b-PDMSx (x = 5k, 12k, and 19k). The stretchability of the BCP donors increases with a longer PDMS block, and the PM6-b-PDMS19k:L8-BO PSC exhibits a high PCE (18%) and 9-times higher COS value (18%) compared to the PM6:L8-BO-based PSC. However, the PM6:L8-BO:PDMS12k ternary blend shows inferior PCE (5%) and COS (1%) due to macrophase separation.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Stefanie de Roo, Felix Einsiedler, Stefan Mecking
Summary: This study demonstrates the catalytic conversion of renewable plant oils, including microalgae and waste oil, into industrially relevant alpha-olefins in the C-3 to C-10 regime. The biorefinery concept involves a catalytic sequence of ethenolysis, double bond isomerization, and subsequent ethenolysis, effectively rearranging the fatty acid chains into valuable chemical building blocks. Supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO(2)), a benign extraction and reaction solvent, is utilized.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2023)
Article
Polymer Science
Kaitlin Wang, Russell J. Composto, Karen I. Winey
Summary: We use ToF-SIMS and cross-sectioned trilayer samples to measure nanoparticle and polymer diffusion in polymer melts. The data is corrected for sample tilt, deconvoluted for beam resolution, and integrated to extract concentration profiles and diffusion coefficients. These results are in agreement with previous studies using ion beam methods. This work validates ToF-SIMS as a reliable tool for measuring diffusion and enables investigation of more complex polymer systems and longer time and length scales.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Maximilian Baur, Nina K. Mast, Jan P. Brahm, Rosa Habe, Tobias O. Morgen, Stefan Mecking
Summary: In this study, we modified polyethylene using both ketone and ester functional groups, and found that the simultaneous presence of both groups has no adverse effects on the crystal structure and thermal properties of polyethylene. Through oxidation of the in-chain ketone groups, high molecular weight polyethylenes with in-chain ketone-ester groups can be synthesized, which exhibit good photolytic degradation and chemical recyclability. We also demonstrated that polyethylenes bearing in-chain ketone groups can be produced via post-polymerization Baeyer-Villiger oxidation, combining the photodegradability of ketones with the chemical access point of esters.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Taylor F. Nelson, Dario Rothauer, Michael Sander, Stefan Mecking
Summary: Monomers sourced from waste or biomass, such as polyethylene waste or bio-based fatty acids, can be used to synthesize polyesters with various chain lengths. These polyesters exhibit high-density polyethylene-like properties, are ductile, and can be processed into films and fibers. They also show potential for chemical recycling or biodegradation in the environment.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Frieder Conradt, Vincent Bezold, Volker Wiechert, Steffen Huber, Stefan Mecking, Alfred Leitenstorfer, Ron Tenne
Summary: This study demonstrates the causal link between the quantum-confined Stark effect and spectral diffusion, and reveals the relation between the sensitivity of transition energy to an electric field and amplified spectral fluctuations. This is important for overcoming the critical barrier in applications of quantum sensing.
Article
Polymer Science
Stephanie F. Marxsen, Manuel Haeussler, Marcel Eck, Stefan Mecking, Rufina G. Alamo
Summary: In this study, the isothermal overall crystallization rates and linear growth rates of four symmetric long-spaced aliphatic polyesters were investigated. It was found that the polyesters exhibited discrete rate minima with increasing crystallization temperature, and the number and depth of these minima depended on the length of the methylene spacer between esters. The occurrence of rate minima could be explained by the self-poisoning feature and the difference in crystal thickness between non-integer and integer layered crystals.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Anne Saumer, Stefan Mecking
Summary: We report the synthesis and properties of ion-containing, long-chain aliphatic polyesters that can be degraded and fully recycled. These polyesters exhibit desirable traits, such as adhesion with polar compounds, due to the presence of ionic groups. The mechanical properties and melt rheology of these polyesters are significantly influenced by the nature of the cation counterions. Additionally, these polyesters can be chemically recycled by depolymerization. Our findings provide opportunities for tuning the properties of recyclable polyethylene-like polymers.
ACS SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY & ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Jinho Lee, Jin-Woo Lee, Hyunggwi Song, Myoung Song, Jinseok Park, Geon-U Kim, Dahyun Jeong, Taek-Soo Kim, Bumjoon J. Kim
Summary: Efficient and highly stretchable intrinsically-stretchable organic solar cells (IS-OSCs) were achieved by developing a stretchable substrate-bottom electrode using a molecular interdiffusion (MID)-assisted thermoplastic urethane-poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (TPU-PEDOT:PSS) bilayer. The interdiffused bilayer exhibited strong adhesion properties, enhancing the overall durability of the IS-OSCs. The study demonstrates the significance of interfacial adhesion in achieving efficient and highly stretchable IS-OSCs.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY A
(2023)
Article
Polymer Science
Max S. Win, Karen I. Winey, Amalie L. Frischknecht
Summary: In this study, the morphology and transport properties of a new family of fluorine-free terpolymers designed as proton-exchange membranes were investigated using atomistic molecular dynamics simulations. It was found that terpolymers with lower ion exchange capacities exhibited modestly lower water diffusion, suggesting potential advantages in terms of processability.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Entao Yang, James F. Pressly, Bharath Natarajan, Robert Colby, Karen I. Winey, Robert A. Riggleman
Summary: This study examines the dynamics in polymer nanocomposites (PNCs) and quantitatively separates the role of polymer packing from other effects on the dynamics near the nanoparticle surfaces. The results show that the slow interfacial dynamics in PNCs is not solely due to polymer packing differences, but also the change of structure-dynamics relationships. The study also demonstrates how the decomposition of dynamics can accurately predict strain-time creep curves for PNCs from their static configuration, providing insights into the effects of polymer-nanoparticle interfaces on creep suppression in PNCs.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Entao Yang, James F. Pressly, Bharath Natarajan, Robert Colby, Karen I. Winey, Robert A. Riggleman
Summary: This study investigates the dynamics in polymer nanocomposites (PNCs) through a combination of simulations and experiments. The researchers quantitatively separate the role of polymer packing from other effects on the dynamics and find that both polymer packing differences and changes in structure-dynamics relationships contribute to the slow interfacial dynamics. The study also demonstrates how this decomposition can be used to predict the creep behavior of PNCs accurately.
