Achievement

IGERT Fellow Jennifer Nugent synthesized new organic-inorganic hybrid electrolytes for use in high energy density batteries. Advanced rechargeable batteries employing electrodes such as lithium, sulfur, or LiCoPO4 require the use of electrolytes with specific properties, such as wide electrochemical stability windows, high mechanical strength, and/or inertness or non-solvancy toward the electrode materials and their products. She has demonstrated a number of hybrid electrolyte platforms -- polymer-ceramic, ionic liquid-ceramic, and both crosslinked and uncrosslinked systems. The electrolytes are mechanically tunable and exhibit good room temperature ionic conductivity, allowing for sufficiently fast energy release, without the use of flammable or volatile solvents. They are also easily processable, and do not require high temperature sintering or deposition by sputtering like all-ceramic electrolytes.