Impact of optimised quasi-block structures on the properties of polymer electrolytes

Abstract

A set of ionic quasi-block copolymers were investigated to determine the effects of their composition and structure on their performance in their application as solid-state battery electrolytes. Diffusion and electrochemical tests have shown that these new quasi-block electrolytes have comparable performance to traditional block copolymers reaching ionic conductivities of 3.8 × 10⁻⁴ S cm⁻¹ and lithium-ion diffusion of 4.6 × 10⁻¹² m² s⁻¹ at 80 °C. It was illustrated that the mechanical properties of each quasi-block electrolyte are highly dependent on the order of monomer addition in polymer synthesis while the phase morphology hints at each of the quasi-blocks' unique compositional make up.