(355b) Understanding Interfacial Effects on Ion-Transport in Block Copolymer Electrolytes

Polymer electrolytes hold significant promise for many lithium-ion battery applications because they are non-flammable, electrochemically stable, and easily manufactured. In addition to designing more efficient polymer electrolyte chemistries, there is significant interest in deploying polymer electrolytes as block-copolymers, with one block to conduct ions and the other to enhance structural integrity. However, there is limited molecular-level understanding on how the block-copolymer morphology influences ion-diffusivity and thus polymer electrolyte performance. We use atomistic molecular dynamics to characterize interfacial effects arising from the block copolymer morphology. In particular, we emphasize effects on the polymer dynamics and the solvation-site connectivity—two factors which are known to govern polymer electrolyte performance in conventional polymer electrolyte systems. Through this study, we provide a more informed and nuanced view regarding interfacial ion-transport phenomena and how this relates to recent experimental measurements.