New Catalytic Processes and Polymers for Lithium-Ion Batteries

电动汽车对于确保可持续交通非常重要，法拉第研究所预计，到2030年，英国购买的新汽车中有64%将是电动汽车。电动汽车的一个关键部件是锂离子电池。它必须满足几个性能要求，包括：快速充电速度;高容量（即，能够存储大量能量）;长寿命;并且具有高安全标准。传统的电池含有液体电解质（离子通过的介质）。然而，这是易燃的，所以它是一个安全风险。它也可能导致电池的退化。一种替代方法是使用聚合物电解质。聚合物是由称为单体的小单元连接而成的长分子链。一些聚合物，主要是那些在其结构中含有氧原子的聚合物，如聚醚、聚碳酸酯和聚酯，能够传导锂离子。这使它们成为未来电解质的目标。由于它们可以是固体，它们不具有液体电解质的易燃性风险，加上聚合物以高度可加工而闻名。聚合物也可以在电池中用作粘合剂材料，以提供结构完整性并抑制降解。在生产聚合物时，可以控制所用单体的类型及其排序方式。这会影响聚合物的性能。可以将不同类型的聚合物连接在一起成为一个更长的聚合物链-这些被称为嵌段共聚物。2014年，报道了一种生产嵌段共聚物的新方法，称为开关催化。它实现了高顺序控制，并可以从单体混合物在一锅。它已被证明可用于一系列单体，以生产具有不同性能的含氧聚合物。该项目旨在开发用于电池的新型聚合物，使用具有高度控制的简易生产方法。它福尔斯EPSRC能源研究领域。本文将利用开关催化技术系统地研究一系列新型的碳酸酯共聚物，并对其作为电池材料的适用性进行研究。目前只有有限的关于共聚物（酯-碳酸酯）用于电池的研究报告，并且转换催化以前没有用于生产电池材料。重要的性能包括离子电导率（> 10-4 S cm-1）、电化学稳定性（> 4 V）、粘合强度、柔韧性和结构稳定性。具有良好性能的聚合物将在电池中进行彻底的测试。

Electric vehicles are important for ensuring sustainable transport, with the Faraday Institution expecting that by 2030, 64% of new cars bought in the UK will be electric. A key component of electric vehicles is the lithium-ion battery. It must meet several performance requirements, including; fast charging speeds; high capacity (i.e., be able to store a large amount of energy); long lifetime; and have high safety standards. Conventional batteries contain a liquid electrolyte (the medium in which ions travel through). However, this is flammable so it is a safety risk. It can also cause degradation of the battery. An alternative is to use polymer electrolytes. Polymers are long molecular chains, formed by joining small units called monomers. Some polymers, mostly those containing oxygen atoms in their structure such as polyethers, polycarbonates, and polyesters, are able to conduct lithium ions. This makes them a target for future electrolytes. As they can be solid, they do not have the flammability risks of liquid electrolytes, plus polymers are renowned for being highly processable. Polymers can also be used in batteries as a binder material to provide structural integrity and inhibit degradation. When producing polymers, the types of monomers used and how they are sequenced can be controlled. This affects the polymer's properties. It is possible to join together different types of polymers into one, longer polymer chain - these are called block co-polymers. In 2014, a new approach to producing block co-polymers was reported, called switch catalysis. It achieves high sequence control and can proceed from a monomer mixture in one-pot. It has been shown to operate for a range of monomers to produce oxygenated polymers with different properties. This project aims to develop new polymers for use in batteries, using a facile production method with high control. It falls within the EPSRC Energy research area. Switch catalysis will be used to systematically study series of novel copoly(ester-b-carbonate)s, which will be studied with respect to their suitability as battery materials. There are only limited reports of the study of copoly(ester-carbonate)s for use in batteries, and switch catalysis has not previously been used to produce battery materials. Properties of importance include ionic conductivity (> 10-4 S cm-1), electrochemical stability (> 4 V), adhesion strength, flexibility, and structural stability. Polymers with promising properties will be thoroughly tested for use in batteries.