Hybrid Electrolytes Based on Optimized Ionic Liquid Quantity Tethered on ZrO<sub>2</sub> Nanoparticles for Solid-State Lithium-Ion Conduction
Jennifer Bidal, Matthieu Bécuwe, Caroline Hadad, Benoît Fleutot, Carine Davoisne, Michaël Deschamps, Benjamin Porcheron, Albert Nguyen Van Nhien
Abstract
This paper describes the simple, highly reproducible, and robust synthesis of a new solid organic/inorganic electrolyte based on the ionic liquid (IL) 1-butyl-3-(carboxyundecyl)imidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide tethered to zirconia nanoparticles (15–25 nm) by coordination and named ZrO2@IL. The IL monolayer formation, ensured by two-dimensional solid-state NMR, at the nanoparticles’ surface considerably reduces both the IL’s consumption and the IL amount at the ZrO2 surface compared to the IL-based hybrid electrolytes reported in the literature. After LiTFSI, used as a lithium source, content optimization (26 wt %), the hybrid exhibits unprecedented stable conductivity passing from 0.6 × 10–4 S.cm–1 to 0.15 × 10–4 S.cm–1, respectively, from 85 °C to room temperature (25 °C). Unlike silica which is commonly adopted for this type of hybrid material, zirconia makes it possible to produce more impact-resistant pellets that are easier to compact, thus being favorable for accurate conductivity studies and battery development by electrode/composite/solid electrolyte layer stacking. The ZrO2@IL/LiTFSI solid hybrid electrolyte’s thermal stability (up to 300 °C) and performance make this electrolyte suitable for lithium conduction in all-solid-state batteries.