Smart Electrolytes for a New Perspective on Electrochemical Energy Storage

电化学储能系统在开发确保现代社会可持续发展所需的技术方面至关重要。某些电化学储能设备，如锂离子电池和超级电容器，应用广泛，并且已经改变了我们存储电力的方式，主要是在游牧电子设备和电动汽车中。迄今为止，这些装置的性质和性能主要由构成电极的电活性材料限定。因此，在活性材料的开发速率与用于支持电池内离子电荷转移的电解质的开发速率之间存在相当大的差距。 拟议的研究计划是我的团队正在进行的努力的一部分，通过开发先进的电解质来改变这种情况，这些电解质在导致能量储存的反应中发挥积极作用。这项研究的目的是提高氧化还原活性电解质超级电容器的能量密度，并使用氧化还原离子液体电解质开发新的无金属液体电极电池。该目的的动机是这样的事实，即离子传输通常在液相中比在固相中快103，导致改进的电化学反应动力学。 智能电解质，比如我打算通过这个项目开发的电解质，不仅仅是通过向传统电解质中添加化学功能来获得的;相反，它们具有特定的分子，这些分子联合收割机了溶剂，离子载体和活性电荷存储中心的作用。离子液体是智能电解质开发的非常合适的平台，因为很少有方法对传统溶剂分子进行化学修饰并保持液相。这些氧化还原离子液体含有与其离子连接的电活性基团;当氧化或还原时，这些基团能够储存电荷。特别地，与固体活性材料相比，它们的能量密度仍然有限，尽管它们的高浓度氧化还原中心（即每个离子一个）使得它们对于能量存储特别有意义。此外，由于缺乏电子转移时分子结构的基本知识，以及在电极界面发生的相互作用，它们的发展正在放缓。 我的研究计划将通过三个目标来解决这些问题：通过使用多个电子转移反应来增加能量密度，了解离子尺寸与插入纳米多孔碳材料的性质之间的关系，以及精确评估氧化还原离子液体在不同配置的储能设备中的性能。我的研究计划可能会影响许多对加拿大至关重要的部门，特别是通过产生新的基础知识，并在储能和材料领域培训高素质人才。

Electrochemical energy storage systems are crucially important in developing the technologies required to ensure the sustainable development of our modern society. Certain electrochemical energy storage devices, such as lithium-ion batteries and supercapacitors, are widely applied and have already changed the way we store electricity, mainly in nomad electronic devices and electric vehicles. To date, the properties and performance of these devices have been largely defined by the electroactive material of which the electrodes are composed. Consequently, there is a considerable gap between the development rate of active materials, and that of the electrolytes used to support ionic charge transfer within the cell. The proposed research program is part of my group's ongoing effort to change this situation by developing advanced electrolytes that play an active role in the reactions leading to energy storage. The objective of this proposed research is to increase the energy density of redox-active electrolyte supercapacitors and develop new, metal-free liquid electrode batteries using redox ionic liquid electrolytes. This objective is motivated by the fact that ion transport is generally 103 faster in liquid than in solid phases, leading to improved electrochemical reaction kinetics. Smart electrolytes, such as the ones I intend to develop through this program, are not obtained solely by adding chemical functionality to a conventional electrolyte; rather, they feature specific molecules which combine the roles of solvent, ionic carrier, and active charge storage centre. Ionic liquids are highly suitable platforms for smart electrolyte development, given that there are very few ways to chemically modify traditional solvent molecules and maintain a liquid phase. These redox ionic liquids contain electroactive groups linked to their ions; when oxidized or reduced, these groups are capable of storing charges. In particular, their energy density remains limited in comparison to solid active materials, despite their high concentration of redox centres (i.e. one per ion) which renders them particularly interesting for energy storage. In addition, their development is being slowed by a lack of fundamental knowledge of molecular structure upon electron transfer, as well as on the interactions occurring at the electrode interface. My research program will address these issues through three objectives: increasing energy density through the use of multiple electron transfer reactions, understanding the relationship between ion size and nature on insertion in nanoporous carbon materials, and precisely evaluating the performance of redox ionic liquid in energy storage devices of different configurations. My research program may potentially impact numerous sectors of critical importance to Canada, specifically by generating new and foundational knowledge, and training highly-qualified personnel (HQP) in the fields of energy storage and materials.