Ionic Conducting Materials

Ion-conducting polymer materials are obtained

•  by swelling a polymer network (structural materials) with an electrolyte or by synthesising it in the presence of the electrolyte. They are hydrogels when the electrolyte is aqueous or ionogels when an ionic liquid is used. These materials are not selective in their ionic transport
•  by cross-linking polyelectrolytes (anion or cation grafted onto the polymer network in which only the cation or anion is mobile). These polymer materials have selective ionic conductivity (anionic or cationic). They are mainly developed as 2-electrode separation materials.

We are developing them as membranes separating anode and cathode in batteries, electrolysers, supercapacitors, actuators and electrochromic devices, and more recently as ionic electrodes. Finally, these polymer networks can incorporate dynamic covalent functions enabling the development of self-repairing ion-conducting vitrimers.

Keywords: Hydrogels, organogels, ionogels, ionic liquids, ionic liquid polymers, membranes, electrolytes, ionotronics, vitrimers, ...