10
Novel
LithiumIon Conducting Polymer Electrolytes for Lithium-Ion
Batteries--Eltron
Research, Inc., 4600 Nautilus Court South, Boulder, CO
803013241; 3035300263
Ms.
Ella F. Spiegel, Principal Investigator, eltron@eltronresearch.com
Ms.
Eileen Sammells, Business Official, eltron@eltronresearch.com
DOE
Grant No. DEFG0300ER82998
Amount:
$749,994
Polymer
electrolytes that promote lithium ion activity are needed to develop advanced
batteries for high power or high energy storage. Polymers should be thin and flexible with glass transition
below -70°C and ionic conductivity >10-3 S/cm.
In this project, new carbonate side chains will be introduced into the
carbonate-siloxane polymer matrix to increase the ionic conductivity to 10-3S/cm.
New lithium salts and crosslinkers will also be evaluated to enhance the
ionic conductivity. During
Phase I, synthetic methods were developed to incorporate the allyl carbonate
side chains into the polysiloxane backbone.
This resulted in a thin, flexible polymer with an ionic conductivity of
2.75 x 10-4 S/cm. Various
ratios of carbonate to siloxane, siloxane to crosslinker, and carbonate to Li+
were evaluated to achieve the desired results.
Phase II will evaluate several more carbonate side chains using methods
developed in Phase I. New lithium
salts and crosslinkers will be evaluated. A
method will be developed for incorporating the carbonate-siloxane polymer in a
cathode matrix, which will be integrated in a battery for extensive performance
evaluation.
Commercial
Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee:
Commercial applications include high energy batteries for electric and hybrid
vehicles, field-useable test equipment. The
polymer electrolytes could also be utilized for development of battery
technologies for consumer products such as cell phones, computers, and video
equipment.