Low-Temperature Ionic Conductivity Enhanced by Disrupted Ice Formation in Polyampholyte Hydrogels

ORAL

Abstract

The phase behavior of water in hydrogels has a broad impact on various applications. Our previous study showed the polyampholyte hydrogel has the potential to be used as an aqueous gel electrolyte in the electrochemical storage devices at –30 °C, due to the enhanced low-temperature conductivity. In this study, the impact of polymer structures on the enhanced low-temperature ionic conductivity of polyampholyte hydrogel was explained with a model charge-balanced polyampholyte, poly(4-vinylbenzenesulfonate-co-[3-(methacryloylamino) propyl] trimethylammonium chloride), whose polymer and water structures were probed by variable-temperature SAXS and WAXS, respectively. Here, an interconnected globular network structure of polymer-rich phase at low temperature preserved ion-conducting channel of non-frozen water molecules at low temperatures. This hypothesis was further supported by MAS-NMR. This result provides an insight to design gel electrolytes for enhanced low-temperature performances.

*The authors gratefully acknowledge funding from a NSERC DG (RGPIN 435914). J.A.W.E. holds a Canada Research Chair in Thermodynamics. The use of Advanced Photon Source was supported by the U.S. DOE under Contract No. DE-AC02-06CH11357.

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Presenters

  • Xinda Li

    • Univ of Alberta
    • Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Alberta
    • Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Alberta

Authors

  • Xinda Li

    • Univ of Alberta
    • Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Alberta
    • Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Alberta

  • Hemant Charaya

    • Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Alberta

  • Guy Bernard

    • Department of chemistry , University of Alberta

  • Vladimir Michaelis

    • Department of chemistry , University of Alberta

  • Janet Elliott

    • Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Alberta

  • Byeongdu Lee

    • X-ray Science Division, Argonne Natl Lab
    • Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory
    • Argonne National Laboratory
    • X-ray Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory

  • Hyun-Joong Chung

    • Univ of Alberta
    • Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Alberta
    • Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Alberta