Polymer Electrolytes
- 1 July 2013
- journal article
- Published by Annual Reviews in Annual Review of Materials Research
- Vol. 43 (1), 503-525
- https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-matsci-071312-121705
Abstract
This review article covers applications in which polymer electrolytes are used: lithium batteries, fuel cells, and water desalination. The ideas of electrochemical potential, salt activity, and ion transport are presented in the context of these applications. Potential is defined, and we show how a cell potential measurement can be used to ascertain salt activity. The transport parameters needed to fully specify a binary electrolyte (salt + solvent) are presented. We define five fundamentally different types of homogeneous electrolytes: type I (classical liquid electrolytes), type II (gel electrolytes), type III (dry polymer electrolytes), type IV (dry single-ion-conducting polymer electrolytes), and type V (solvated single-ion-conducting polymer electrolytes). Typical values of transport parameters are provided for all types of electrolytes. Comparison among the values provides insight into the transport mechanisms occurring in polymer electrolytes. It is desirable to decouple the mechanical properties of polymer electrolyte membranes from the ionic conductivity. One way to accomplish this is through the development of microphase-separated polymers, wherein one of the microphases conducts ions while the other enhances the mechanical rigidity of the heterogeneous polymer electrolyte. We cover all three types of conducting polymer electrolyte phases (types III, IV, and V). We present a simple framework that relates the transport parameters of heterogeneous electrolytes to homogeneous analogs. We conclude by discussing electrochemical stability of electrolytes and the effects of water contamination because of their relevance to applications such as lithium ion batteries.Keywords
This publication has 80 references indexed in Scilit:
- Effect of Confinement on Proton Transport Mechanisms in Block Copolymer/Ionic Liquid MembranesMacromolecules, 2012
- Counterion Condensation in NafionMacromolecules, 2011
- Salt Diffusion Coefficients in Block Copolymer ElectrolytesJournal of the Electrochemical Society, 2011
- Nafion® perfluorinated membranes in fuel cellsJournal of Fluorine Chemistry, 2004
- Computation of Thermodynamic Oxidation Potentials of Organic Solvents Using Density Functional TheoryJournal of the Electrochemical Society, 2001
- Transport Properties of the Solid Polymer Electrolyte System P(EO)nLiTFSIThe Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 2000
- The Measurement of a Complete Set of Transport Properties for a Concentrated Solid Polymer Electrolyte SolutionJournal of the Electrochemical Society, 1995
- The determination of transference numbers in solid polymer electrolytes using the Hittorf methodSolid State Ionics, 1992
- Potentiometric measurements of ionic transport parameters in poly(ethylene oxide)-LiX electrolytesJournal of Applied Electrochemistry, 1987
- Temperature Variation in Transference Numbers of Concentrated Solutions of Sulfuric Acid as Determined by the Galvanic Cell Method1Journal of the American Chemical Society, 1935