title: Quasi-Solid Electrolytes for High Temperature Lithium Ion Batteries.
abstract: Rechargeable batteries capable of operating at high temperatures have significant use in various targeted applications. Expanding the thermal stability of current lithium ion batteries requires replacing the electrolyte and separators with stable alternatives. Since solid-state electrolytes do not have a good electrode interface, we report here the development of a new class of quasi-solid-state electrolytes, which have the structural stability of a solid and the wettability of a liquid. Microflakes of clay particles drenched in a solution of lithiated room temperature ionic liquid forming a quasi-solid system has been demonstrated to have structural stability until 355 °C. With an ionic conductivity of ∼3.35 mS cm(-1), the composite electrolyte has been shown to deliver stable electrochemical performance at 120 °C, and a rechargeable lithium battery with Li4Ti5O12 electrode has been tested to deliver reliable capacity for over several cycles of charge-discharge.
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Nano Engineering, Rice University , Houston, Texas 77005, United States.
authors.forename: Kaushik
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kalaga
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Nano Engineering, Rice University , Houston, Texas 77005, United States.
authors.forename: Marco-Tulio F
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Rodrigues
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Nano Engineering, Rice University , Houston, Texas 77005, United States.
authors.forename: Hemtej
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gullapalli
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Wayne State University , Detroit, Michigan 48202, United States.
authors.forename: Ganguli
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Babu
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Wayne State University , Detroit, Michigan 48202, United States.
authors.forename: Leela Mohana Reddy
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Arava
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Nano Engineering, Rice University , Houston, Texas 77005, United States.
authors.forename: Pulickel M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Ajayan
keywords: clay composites; high temperature energy devices; ionic liquids; lithium ion battery; lithium titanate; quasi-solid electrolytes