Double gyroid-structured electrolyte based on an azobenzene-containing monomer and its polymer.

Liu, Dong; He, Shangming; Luo, Longfei; Yang, Weilu; Liu, Yun; Yang, Shichu; Shen, Zhihao; Chen, Shuangjun et al. · Soft Matter · 2024

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

The self-assembled structure has a significant impact on the performance of ion conductors. We prepared a new type of electrolyte with self-assembled structures from an azobenzene-based liquid crystalline (LC) monomer and its corresponding polymer. By doping different amounts of monomers and lithium salt LiTFSI, the self-assembled nanostructure of the electrolyte was changed from lamellae to double gyroid. The ionic conductivity of the azobenzene-based electrolytes with the double gyroid structure was 1.64 × 10<sup>-4</sup> S cm<sup>-1</sup>, higher than most PEO-based polymer electrolytes. The azobenzene-based system provides a new strategy to design solid electrolytes with self-assembled structures that may be potentially used in solid-state lithium-ion batteries.