Designing Solid Polymer Electrolytes for Energy Storage and Harvesting

Solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs), with a unique combination of electrochemical and mechanical characteristics, are promising for a wide range of energy storage and harvesting applications. The molecular architecture and structure of SPEs provide a versatile platform for tailoring materials' properties to suit specific application needs. This presentation will focus on the morphology and network structure effects on ion transport, electrodeposition, and the formation of metal dendrites. We demonstrate that the tortuosity resulting from the morphology of SPEs can be employed to fine-tune ion transport and guide the growth of metal dendrites. On the other hand, mechanically modulating the internal SPE structure can provide an alternative approach to controlling dendrite growth. By tuning SPE's molecular structure and chemistry, we can adjust the electrochemical and mechanical properties for improved battery performance while elucidating how these affect the underlying transport mechanism and electrodeposition behavior.