NEW HIGH CONDUCTIVITY POLYMER ELECTROLYTES WITH EXCLUSIVE CATION CONDUCTIVITY

CURRENTLY, THERE IS A NEED TO IMPROVE THE TECHNOLOGY FOR EFFICIENT AND ECONOMICAL GENERATION AND STORAGE OF ELECTRICAL POWER. TO FURTHER THIS OBJECTIVE, NEW POLYMER SOLID ELECTROLYTES ARE NEEDED TO ADVANCE A BROAD CLASS OF ELECTROCHEMICAL ENERGY SYSTEMS. FOR RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES, IT WOULD BE ADVANTAGEOUS TO HAVE EXCLUSIVE CATIONIC MOBILITY, SINCE THE ANION DOES NOT PARTICIPATE IN THE ELECTROCHEMICAL PROCESSES AT THE ELECTRODES, BUT DOES PROVIDE DELETERIOUS LOCAL CONCENTRATION GRADIENTS WHICH GENERATE OPPOSING VOLTAGES. THE RESULT IS REDUCED POWER OUTPUT. A SPECIFIC CATION CONDUCTOR WOULD LEAD TO SUBSTANTIALLY HIGHER POWER OUTPUT FROM THE CELL. THE SPECIFIC TECHNICAL OBJECTIVE OF THE PHASE I RESEARCH EFFORT IS TO SYNTHESIZE NEW SOLID POLYMER ELECTROLYTES WITH HIGH SPECIFIC LITHIUM ION CONDUCTIVITY AT ROOM TEMPERATURE. IN ADDITION, NEW POLYMERIZATION PROCESSES FOR POLYMER ELECTROLYTES WILL BE DEVELOPED, WHICH WILL RESULT IN THE FABRICATION OF PINHOLE-FREE POLYMER ELECTROLYTE FILMS THINNER THAN HAS PREVIOUSLY BEEN CONSIDERED, WHICH WILL SUBSTANTIALLY ENHANCED THE CHARGE STORAGE CAPACITY OF LITHIUM/POLYMER ELECTROLYTE BATTERIES. IF SUCCESSFUL, THIS PROGRAM WILL PROVIDE SOLID POLYMER ELECTROLYTES FOR A NEW GENERATION OF ADVANCED RECHARGEABLE LITHIUM BATTERIES WITH LONG LIFE AND HIGH ENERGY STORAGE CAPACITY.