Enzymatically Catalyzed Polymerization (ECP) - Derived Polymer Electrolyte for Rechargeable Li-Ion Batteries

This Phase I effort involves synthesis of polymers via enzymatically catalyzed polymerization (ECP). ECP-derived polymers frequently have broad molecular weight distribution with branching, which can be beneficial for ionic conduction. Ionic conductivity approaching 10 -3 S/cm can be demonstrated for ective of this Phase I work is to identify promising electrolytes for Li batteries based upon ECP-derived polymers. A series of poly(p-phenylphenol)s will be prepared by ECP, and these materials will be characterized by IR, NMR spectroscopy, DSC, and gel permeating chromatography. This effort will evaluate the ECP-derived polymer in two configurations: solid sate and plasticized polymer electrolytes. These studied materials will also be processed both as stand alone separator and as component of the positiveand negative electrodes. 100 mAh cells will be built to assess the rate-capability and rechargeability utilizing meso-carbon, micro-bead as the Li-ion materials, and LiCo02 as the cathode material.