Lorena Grundy 

University of California, Berkeley

ABSTRACT

Block copolymer electrolytes are promising candidates to enable lithium metal batteries. These materials microphase separate into ion-conducting domains and mechanically-rigid domains, but little is known about how these structures change upon the application of a current, which results in a gradient in salt concentration throughout the cell. In this work, we use small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) at SSRL beamline 1-5 to study the block copolymer structure as a function of time position throughout an electrochemical cell during in situ application of a current. We find that lamellae oriented perpendicular to the direction of ion transport, or parallel to the electrode surface, swell and contract more than their counterparts. Therefore, although these domains are not oriented in the direction that facilitates ion transport, they may play a critical role in determining the limiting current by determining how steep a concentration gradient the cell can accommodate.

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Email: lgrundy@berkeley.edu