In the field of solid polymer electrolytes, a significant challenge is achieving an optimum balance between mechanical properties and ion-conductivity. This conflict arises because of the lithium ion-conduction mechanism, in which ions are moved by polymer chain relaxations, generally requiring a soft material with a low glass transition temperature. Soft polymeric materials can be strengthened through chemical cross-linking to form a network. The ion conductivity of poly(ethylene glycol) PEG has been investigated for several decades and is well reported in the literature. In this study, a material with reasonable lithium ion conductivity (6.6 x 10-4 Scm-1 at 30 �C) was made by loading a PEG-based network with a lithium salt. This network showed rubber-like properties, even with high salt loading. To manipulate the mechanical properties without seriously diminishing the ion conductivity (1.4 x 10-4 at 30�C), polydimethylsiloxane chains were incorporated into the network using the same chemistry.

Lithium ion conducting thiol-ene based networks

244th National Meeting (2012)

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