The most daunting
challenge in solid-state polymer electrolyte membranes (PEMs) is to
achieve high ionic conductivity close to that of the liquid electrolytes,
while maintaining enhanced thermal and mechanical performances. The
ionic conductivity in relation to the morphology of PEMs composed
of diblock copolymer (polystyrene-block-poly(ethylene
oxide); PS-b-PEO), lithium salt (lithium trifluoromethanesulfonate;
LiTf), and ionic liquid (1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium trifluoromethanesulfonate;
EMIMTf) is investigated. The optimized functional nanostructured PEMs
are achieved with room-temperature ionic conductivities higher than
a 1 mS cm–1 benchmark. The morphology of these microphase-separated
electrolytes is composed of a major soft high ionic-conductive PEO/LiTf/IL
matrix with minor glassy high-modulus PS nanodomains. The ionic-liquid
upload in hybrid electrolytes inhibits the PEO crystallization, reduces
the PEO glass transition temperature, promotes an extended PEO chain
conformation, and enhances the solubilization of the non-dissociated
lithium salt at the PS–PEO domain interfaces. These intrinsic
properties caused by the ionic-liquid loading serve to achieve stable
and robust nanostructured electrolyte membranes and can explain the
achieved benchmark conductivity.
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