EPSRC logo

Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference: GR/L56794/01
Title: STRUCTURE OF CRYSTALLINE POLYMER ELECTROLYTES
Principal Investigator: Bruce, Professor P
Other Investigators:
Lightfoot, Professor P
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
Department: Chemistry
Organisation: University of St Andrews
Scheme: Standard Research (Pre-FEC)
Starts: 01 October 1997 Ends: 30 September 2000 Value (£): 149,438
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:
Energy Storage Materials Characterisation
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:
Electronics No relevance to Underpinning Sectors
Related Grants:
Panel History:  
Summary on Grant Application Form
Polymer electrolytes consist of salts dissolved in solid, high molecular weight polymers. Their unique combination of ionic conductivity in a solid yet flexible membrane make them crucial to the development of all-solid-state rechargeable lithium batteries in the 21st Century.Polymer electrolytes, free from plasticisers but with higher ionic conductivity than present systems, are required. There is a marked lack of knowledge concerning the structure of polymer electrolytes. A better understanding of the structure (including a knowledge of the co-ordination sites between which the mobile ions migrate) Would furnish us with information aiding the design of more highly conducting polymer electrolytes. The recent results of Wright and other groups now emphasis that more `structured' polymer electrolytes can yield higher ionic conductivity! Our recent development of a powerful new Monte Carlo based method of ab initio structure determination from powder diffraction data gives us, for the first time, opportunity to explore the influence on polymer electrolyte crystal structures of salt concentration, cation and anion type. In particular it will permit us to establish the structure of 8:1, 6:1, 0.5:1 complexes. By combining the advanced crystallographic studies proposed with spectroscopic studies of analogue amorphous phases, much greater insight into the structures of amorphous polymer electrolytes will also be obtained.
Key Findings
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
Potential use in non-academic contexts
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
Impacts
Description This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
Summary
Date Materialised
Sectors submitted by the Researcher
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
Project URL:  
Further Information:  
Organisation Website: http://www.st-and.ac.uk