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Random binary brush architecture enhances both ionic conductivity and mechanical strength at room temperature

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Abstract

The ionic conductivity and the mechanical strength are two key factors for the performance of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) based polyelectrolytes. However, crystallized PEO suppresses ion conductivity at low temperature and melted PEO has low mechanical strength at high temperature. Here, random binary brush copolymer composed of PEO- and polystyrene (PS)-based side chains is synthesized. PEO crystallinity is suppressed by the introduction of PS brushes. Doping with lithium trifluoromethanesulfonate (LiTf) induces microphase separation. Due to a random arrangement of the brushes, the microphase segregation is incomplete even at high salt loading, which provides both high ionic conductivity and high mechanical strength at room temperature. These results provide opportunities for the design of polymeric electrolytes to be used at room temperature.

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Acknowledgments

L.C.G. is grateful for financial support from the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2017YFA0206904, 2017YFA0206900). Q.C. is grateful for start-up fund of Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences. We thank Dr Ralph Colby at Penn. State Univ. for helpful comments.

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  1. These authors contributed to this work equally.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Bio-inspired Smart Interfacial Science and Technology of Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Environment, Beihang University, Beijing, 100191, China

    Yu-Feng Lyu, Zhi Geng & Long-Cheng Gao

  2. State Key Laboratory of Polymer Physics and Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, 130022, China

    Zhi-Jie Zhang, Chang Liu & Quan Chen

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  1. Yu-Feng Lyu
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  2. Zhi-Jie Zhang
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  3. Chang Liu
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  4. Zhi Geng
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  5. Long-Cheng Gao
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Correspondence to Long-Cheng Gao or Quan Chen.

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Lyu, YF., Zhang, ZJ., Liu, C. et al. Random binary brush architecture enhances both ionic conductivity and mechanical strength at room temperature. Chin J Polym Sci 36, 78–84 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10118-018-2016-z

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