The development of all-solid-state batteries will be a vital step in energy storage devices. For this to happen, one needs to develop true solid electrolytes that should reach the conductivity equal to the aqueous electrolyte. Among the possible candidates, solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) may become a better choice for electrochemical device applications because of its low flammability, no leakage, high chemical and thermal stability, good flexibility, and safe operations. Due to inherent limitations, Lithium-Ion Batteries (LIBs) cannot fulfill the growing energy demands. Therefore, researchers are looking for better alternatives. To fulfill growing energy demands, Lithium Metal Batteries (LMBs) may be great alternatives due to their high theoretical capacity (~ 3860 mAh g-1 or 2061 mAh cm-3) and lowest possible negative electrochemical potential (-3.04 V). Practical application of LMBs is limited due to dendritic growth of lithium and rapid capacity fading. Safety issues caused by Li- dendrite growth can be reduced by the use of SPEs and use of SPEs enhances the energy density. For safe operation with high energy density, we are designing Li-ion conducting polymer membranes from Nafion, pre- and post-polymerized vinyl imidazole, and silica-polystyrene based polymer nanocomposites. We are also investigating the polymer- ionic liquid composites for making electrolyte membranes. To date, we achieved ionic conductivities of 10-4.5 S.cm-1 at room temperature from Nafion-ionic liquid composite membranes.

Synthesis of lithium-ion-conducting solid polymer electrolyte membranes for energy-related applications

255th National Meeting (2018)

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