Solid-State Rechargeable Batteries using Plasma Polymerization

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Recent advances in high energy density batteries have included the development of solid polymer electrolytes to replace conventional liquid or gel electrolytes and the development of organic based redox materials to replace traditional intercalation compounds as the cathode. Problems need to be addressed for the synthesis of these two materials because: (1) Solid polymer electrolytes have a much lower conductivity than conventional liquid or gel electrolytes. The resistance of the polymer film can be reduced by making the film very thin. It is difficult to make ultra-thin polymeric films, though, that are free of pin-holes. (2) The rate capability of solid state lithium batteries can be improved by using organo-sulfur and di-sulfur containing polymers as the cathode material instead of intercalation compounds (such as TiS2), which are presently used in most thin, rechargeable batteries. These new polymeric cathodes also present processing problems because it is difficult to form the required ultra-thin films without defects. The PIs plan to develop plasma polymerization techniques to produce solid polymer electrolytes and polymer redox cathodes for thin, solid-state, rechargeable, alkaline batteries. They will prepare and characterize solid polymeric electrolytes based on plasma polymers of siloxane compounds and polymeric redox materials based on plasma polymerized carbon-sulfur compounds such as carbon disulfide. Substituted phenolic groups will be incorporated into the siloxane plasma polymers (by co-sublimation / plasma polymerization techniques) to prepare the single ion (lithium, sodium or potassium) conducting electrolytes. The relationship between deposition conditions and properties of the materials will be examined. Simple batteries based on these plasma polymerized films will be constructed to test the applicability of these materials.