NSF-BSF: Ion Transport in Composite Electrolytes: Breaking the Interfacial Energy Barriers

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Non-technical AbstractElectrical energy storage is at the heart of everyday life. It is required for cell phones, laptops, standby power systems, electric vehicles, and other applications. Solid-state batteries, batteries that do not contain any liquid like most of today’s battery systems, have emerged as particularly promising solution. Ion conducting polymers combined with superionic ceramics are considered as the most promising materials for the solid electrolytes. With this project, funded by the Ceramics program in the Division of Materials Research, Professor Sokolov at the University of Tennessee, in collaboration with colleagues from Israel, studies fundamental mechanisms controlling ion transport in such composite polymer-ceramic materials. These two classes of materials have complimentary properties that up to now were not realized due to poor understanding of ion transport in disparate systems. The proposed research deepens our understanding of the mechanisms of ion conductivity and enables the design of composite electrolytes with required properties for solid state batteries and other energy storage devices. New energy storage systems are critical for many current and future technologies from electric vehicles to efficient renewable energy sources and could lead to a substantial decrease of the carbon emission. Additionally, this project allows postdoctoral scholars, graduate and undergraduate students to gain valuable experience in sophisticated experimental research and international collaborations. Outreach to K-12 students at and around the University of Tennessee is aimed at attracting more students to STEM careers.Technical AbstractThe interfacial resistance between the ceramic and polymer phases strongly suppresses the ionic conductivity and presents the main obstacle for this type of solid-state electrolytes. The US-Israel international collaborative research, supported by the Ceramics program in the Division of Materials Research, focuses on developing a fundamental understanding of mechanisms controlling ion transport in polymer-ceramic composites, specifically on unraveling parameters controlling interfacial barriers for ion transport between ceramic and polymer electrolytes. A combination of dielectric spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance and neutron scattering spectroscopy, complemented by microscopy is used to elucidate the fundamentals of the transport mechanism. The experimental research will deepen fundamental understanding of microscopic parameters controlling ion transport in composite electrolytes. Insights gained from studying layered ceramic-polymer electrolyte model systems have the potential to be instrumental for a rational design of novel solid-state electrolytes with required conductivity, flexibility and stability, as well as reframing the electrical energy storage technology by developing new materials. The knowledge gained might also have strong impact on other fields of materials science, including applied physics and chemistry, airspace composites and environmental sustainability.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.