Ion Transport in Ionic-Liquid/Polymer Gel Electrolytes

Recently, Fuller and Carlin have demonstrated that stable solid gel electrolytes and membranes can be formed by the addition of a polymer, polyvinylidene hexafluoroproplyene (PVdF-HFP), to 1,3 dialkyl imidazolium ionic liquids (1-3). These solid gel electrolytes have the potential to provide the structural and stabili ty advantages of a polymer with the ionic conductivity approaching that of the pure molten salt. The properties of these novel electrolyte gels are strongly dependent on the type of ionic liquid, the amount of polymer, and the preparation method used.