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

【非技术】电能存储是日常生活的核心。手机、笔记本电脑、备用电源系统、电动汽车和其他应用都需要它。固态电池，不含任何液体的电池，像今天的大多数电池系统，已经成为一个特别有前途的解决方案。离子导电聚合物与超离子陶瓷的结合被认为是最有前途的固体电解质材料。这个项目由材料研究部陶瓷项目资助，田纳西大学的Sokolov教授与以色列的同事合作，研究控制这种复合聚合物-陶瓷材料中离子传输的基本机制。这两类材料具有互补的特性，由于对不同系统中离子传输的理解不足，到目前为止还没有实现。提出的研究加深了我们对离子电导率机制的理解，并使设计具有固态电池和其他储能设备所需性能的复合电解质成为可能。从电动汽车到高效的可再生能源，新的能源存储系统对许多当前和未来的技术至关重要，并可能导致碳排放的大幅减少。此外，该项目还允许博士后学者、研究生和本科生在复杂的实验研究和国际合作中获得宝贵的经验。向田纳西大学及其周边地区的K-12学生伸出援助之手，旨在吸引更多学生从事STEM职业。技术摘要：陶瓷相和聚合物相之间的界面阻力强烈地抑制了离子电导率，是这类固态电解质的主要障碍。由材料研究部陶瓷项目支持的美国-以色列国际合作研究，重点是发展对聚合物-陶瓷复合材料中控制离子传输机制的基本理解，特别是在解开控制陶瓷和聚合物电解质之间离子传输界面障碍的参数。结合介电光谱、核磁共振和中子散射光谱，辅以显微镜，阐明了输运机制的基本原理。实验研究将加深对复合电解质中控制离子输运的微观参数的基本认识。从研究层状陶瓷-聚合物电解质模型系统中获得的见解有可能有助于合理设计具有所需导电性，柔韧性和稳定性的新型固态电解质，以及通过开发新材料重新构建电能存储技术。所获得的知识也可能对材料科学的其他领域产生强烈影响，包括应用物理和化学、空域复合材料和环境可持续性。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

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.