Ionic Liquid‐Polymer Gel Electrolytes

TLDR

The authors fabricated rubbery gel electrolytes by blending room‑temperature ionic liquids (1‑ethyl‑3‑methylimidazolium triflate and related salts) with poly(vinylidene fluoride)-hexafluoropropylene copolymer (PVdF(HFP)). The resulting freestanding, flexible gels exhibit room‑temperature conductivities of 1.1–… S cm⁻¹ and maintain high ionic conductivity (measured at 205 °C) because the ionic liquid and PVdF(HFP) are nonvolatile and thermally stable, allowing operation at elevated temperatures without degradation.

Abstract

New rubbery gel electrolytes have been prepared from room temperature ionic liquids and poly(vinylidene fluoride)‐hexafluoropropylene copolymer [PVdF(HFP)]. The ionic liquids employed in these preparations were 1‐ethyl‐3‐methylimidazolium salts of triflate and . When properly processed, the ionic liquid‐PVdF(HFP) gels are freestanding, flexible films with room temperature conductivities ranging from 1.1 to . Because both the ionic liquids and the PVdF(HFP) are nonvolatile and are thermally stable, the gels can be operated at elevated temperatures without performance degradation. An ionic conductivity of was measured for a triflate ionic liquid‐PVdF(HFP) gel at 205°C.