Solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) offer a potentially safer alternative to current electrolytes used in lithium-ion batteries by removing the use of flammable solvents. The ionic conductivity of SPEs are tied to the segmental motion of the polymer backbone. Most common SPEs are poly(ethylene oxide), which can crystalize at room temperature and offers no resistance to dendrite growth. Polymers with a bulky backbone and a conductive tail may decouple the ionic conductivity from the segmental motion. The addition of a high modulus block to the polymer can cause the formations of nanomorphologies that may lead to ionic pathways as well as a structural region that can prevent dendritic growth. Nine oligo(ethylene oxide, N=3) grafted oxanorbornyl diblock copolymers with narrow polydispersities were synthesized using ring opening metathesis polymerization with varying compositions and molecular weights. The order-disorder transition temperature (T<sub>ODT</sub>) and order-order transition temperature (T<sub>OOT</sub>) of the nanomorphologies and the Flory-Huggins interaction parameter of these diblock copolymers were investigated through the use of optical birefringence and small angle x-ray scattering.

Investigation of phase transition temperatures of oligo(ethylene oxide) grafted oxanorbornyl diblock copolymers for solid polymer electrolytes supports

251st National Meeting (2016)

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