INtroducing VITrimers in Electrolytes for lithium metal batteries
Internal reference number 22/27-125
Start date 01/09/2022, end date : 31/08/2027
The future of transportation is electric, but the road to widespread adoption of electric vehicles is paved with challenges. The most significant of these are the limitations of current lithium-ion batteries, which include safety concerns, short travel distances, and lengthy charging times. The INVITE project aims to address these issues by developing high-energy, lightweight, safe, and recyclable batteries.
Our focus is on solid-state lithium metal batteries, which offer increased safety and higher energy density. However, these batteries require the development of new solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs). SPEs need to be safe, ensure good contact at the electrode-electrolyte interface, efficiently transport charges, be easy to process and recycle, and have good mechanical properties at the operating temperature.
We believe that vitrimers, permanent chemical networks with dynamic covalent bonds, could be the key to developing these new SPEs. Vitrimers behave as permanent networks at a given operating temperature, but at elevated temperatures, their dynamic bonds can exchange faster, allowing for remolding, reshaping, and recycling, while still maintaining the desired chemical and mechanical resistance of crosslinked polymers.
The INVITE project will study the properties of well-defined poly(ether) networks containing dynamic covalent bonds. These networks are built by adding crosslinkers into functionalized precursors of different topologies, designed to favor both good ionic conductivity and mechanical properties. We aim to understand how the sample composition influences its rheological, mechanical, and self-healing properties, and establish correlations between these properties and their electrochemical properties.
This interdisciplinary study will be conducted in a collaboration between Pr. C.A. Fustin (synthesis), Pr. J.-F. Gohy (electrochemistry), and Pr. E. van Ruymbeke (rheology). Our goal is to unravel the mechanisms that govern their behavior and provide valuable insights into the design and development of solid-state batteries.
In essence, the INVITE project is not just about creating a new battery. It is about powering a sustainable future, one where electric vehicles are the norm, not the exception. Join us on this exciting journey towards a greener tomorrow!
