Subscriber access provided by UNIV OF NEW ENGLAND ARMIDALE
Energy, Environmental, and Catalysis Applications
Efficient Transport Networks in a Dual Electron/LithiumConducting Polymeric Composite for Electrochemical Applications Michael McDonald, and Paula T. Hammond ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, Just Accepted Manuscript • DOI: 10.1021/acsami.8b01519 • Publication Date (Web): 16 Apr 2018 Downloaded from http://pubs.acs.org on April 16, 2018
Just Accepted “Just Accepted” manuscripts have been peer-reviewed and accepted for publication. They are posted online prior to technical editing, formatting for publication and author proofing. The American Chemical Society provides “Just Accepted” as a service to the research community to expedite the dissemination of scientific material as soon as possible after acceptance. “Just Accepted” manuscripts appear in full in PDF format accompanied by an HTML abstract. “Just Accepted” manuscripts have been fully peer reviewed, but should not be considered the official version of record. They are citable by the Digital Object Identifier (DOI®). “Just Accepted” is an optional service offered to authors. Therefore, the “Just Accepted” Web site may not include all articles that will be published in the journal. After a manuscript is technically edited and formatted, it will be removed from the “Just Accepted” Web site and published as an ASAP article. Note that technical editing may introduce minor changes to the manuscript text and/or graphics which could affect content, and all legal disclaimers and ethical guidelines that apply to the journal pertain. ACS cannot be held responsible for errors or consequences arising from the use of information contained in these “Just Accepted” manuscripts.
is published by the American Chemical Society. 1155 Sixteenth Street N.W., Washington, DC 20036 Published by American Chemical Society. Copyright © American Chemical Society. However, no copyright claim is made to original U.S. Government works, or works produced by employees of any Commonwealth realm Crown government in the course of their duties.
Page 1 of 34 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
Efficient Transport Networks in a Dual Electron/Lithium-Conducting Polymeric Composite for Electrochemical Applications Michael B. McDonald and Paula T. Hammond* Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139 USA Keywords: Mixed Conductors, Conductive Binders, Lithium Battery Electrodes, Solid State Electrolytes, Conducting Polymers, PEDOT
ABSTRACT:
In this work, an all-functional polymer material composed of the electrically
conductive poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(4-styrenesulfonic acid) (PEDOT:PSS) and lithium-conducting poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) was developed to form a dual conductor for three-dimensional electrodes in electrochemical applications. The composite exhibits enhanced ionic conductivity (~10-4 S cm-1) and, counterintuitively, electronic conductivity (~45 S cm-1) with increasing PEO proportion, optimal at a monomer ratio of 20:1 PEO:PEDOT. Microscopy reveals a unique morphology, where PSS interacts favorably with PEO, destabilizing PEDOT to associate into highly branched, interconnected networks that allow for more efficient electronic transport despite relatively low concentration. Thermal and x-ray techniques affirm the PSS-PEO domain suppresses crytallinity, explaining the high ionic conductivity. Electrochemical
ACS Paragon Plus Environment
1
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
Page 2 of 34
experiments in lithium cell environments indicate stability as a function of cycling and improved overpotential due to dual transport characteristics despite known issues with both individual components.
1. INTRODUCTION
material
components
that
facilitate
Electrochemical technologies, such as those
movement of charges throughout them.
the
for production of value-added chemicals (e.g.
In addition to enhancing the intrinsic
CH3OH from CO2 reduction1 and H2 from
conductivities of the components contained in
electrolysis of H2O2) and especially energy
the electrode and electrolyte phases of a cell,
storage (e.g. batteries3 and fuel cells4), require
the number and composition of non-active
innovations that improve portability, energy
components in a cell should be minimized. In
efficiency/capability and cost.5 The usage of
particular, an electrode phase that is three-
electrochemical
dimensional
technology
has
become
(thick)
requires
efficient
increasingly prolific, with mainly batteries
transport of both electrons and ions, unlike
utilized in mobile telephones and laptop
the electrolyte and electric circuit phases.
computers,6 and emerging integration in
Examples of this requirement are present in
electric vehicles7 and the renewable energy
such systems as proton exchange membrane
grid.8
is
fuel cells (PEMFCs), where several different
fundamentally distinguished from regular
layers compose the electrode and incorporate
chemical reactions by the spatial mitigation of
gas
both electrons and ions from the reactions for
components nanostructured to conductive
control of the flow of energy. Henceforth,
carbon-proton exchange polymer (inactive)
there is required advancement in the various
components
Electrochemical
technology
diffusion
at
and
the
catalyst
(active)
electrode-electrolyte
interface for electron and ion transport.9 Here,
ACS Paragon Plus Environment
2
Page 3 of 34 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
this inactive component is essentially a dual
materials selected will determine performance
electron/proton conductor, without which the
characteristics;
electrode kinetics would be severely limited.
materials are generally resistive to electron
These dual conductive materials are also of
and
significant interest for solid oxide fuel cell
composed entirely of storage materials are
(SOFC) electrodes,10 and are also studied
therefore not possible, and so the storage
more generally in a variety of fields.11
materials must be in particulate form in a
lithium
however,
ion
LIB
transport.13
storage
Electrodes
been
conductive-structural matrix to permit short
extensively innovated to match reactants with
diffusion lengths for electrons and ions
both electrons and ions in PEMFCs and
between
SOFCs, three-dimensional electrodes are also
collection (Figure 1a).14 Since the binder
desirable
battery
phase is necessary for effective transport of
technology, such as the lithium-ion battery
charge, it therefore determines power density,
(LIB), which is selected to power the vast
but also adds inactive mass, and so also
majority of emerging portable electronics due
controls energy density (capacity).
While
these
interfaces
for
have
lithium-based
to its high energy density and excellent rechargeability
properties.12
intercalation/deintercalation
and
In LIBs and other similar electrode
active
systems, electronic conductivity is usually
component in an LIB is the storage material
achieved through conductive carbon (CC)
(e.g.
LiFePO4,
additives which, at sufficient concentrations
LiNiMnCoO2) in the electrodes, which holds
(5 – 30 wt%), form a critical number of
and
via
percolative pathways.15 These pathways,
The
along with the storage material particles, must
graphite,
The
LiCoO2,
releases
intercalation/deintercalation
charge of
Li+.
combination of the anode and cathode storage
ACS Paragon Plus Environment
3
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
Page 4 of 34
Figure 1. (a) Conventional LIB electrode containing storage material particles (purple) and conductive carbon particles (black) in a polymer binder. Electrons and Li ions move between the storage material, and collector and electrolyte, respectively. Electron transport relies on pathways randomly formed between conductive carbon particles; (b) chemical structure of PEDOT:PSS; (c) chemical structure of PEO with oxygen lone electron pairs interacting with Li ions. themselves be suspended in a structural
The
limitations
of
this
conventional
binder, often an inert polymer.16 This polymer
approach to access the active portion of
binder adds inactive mass and also blocks CC
electrodes present an opportunity to integrate
transport pathways. Because the pathways are
new electron and ion-conducting materials in
limited by length, efficient transport is
place of conductive carbon-inert polymer
ensured by casting thin layers17 of slurry
composites. To reduce the number of
containing all components on metal foil
components, an ideal material will possess
current collectors.18 Ionic conductivity is
dual conductivity (e.g. transporting both
gained via the wetting of porous regions of
electrons and Li+), as well as adhesive
the electrode with liquid electrolyte, and is
properties to bind active material particulates,
often limited by the electrode morphology.
in a single material. Although analogous to
ACS Paragon Plus Environment
4
Page 5 of 34 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
modern PEMFC electrodes that interface the
1b), which helps solubilize PEDOT and
active component to the electrolyte and
compensates
circuit, bulk carbon fiber is not practical or
PEDOT:PSS has recently been studied as a
efficient to form the electron transport
functional binder in LIB electrodes,22 and was
network, and lithium conductivity has not
shown to decrease the porosity of the
been
electrode (inactive space between storage
specifically
considered
for
such
its
charged
backbone.
material particles) and the cell overpotential
materials. One method to replace CC percolation is
for
lithium
intercalation/deintercalation,
also
enhancing rate capability (~80% at 5C).23
conductive. This ‘functional binder’ approach
This system outperformed the conventional
attempts
and
CC/polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), a result
and so in principle the
of the longer-range, continuous conductive
inactive material can be reduced and energy
networks formed from a polymer. Unlike CC
density increased. One class of material that
particles that are incorporated based on
has recently been investigated for this
percolation thresholds, conductive polymers
approach
make up most of the bulk of conductive
with
structural
binders
to
conductivity,19,
combine 20
is
polymers.
that
adhesion
electronically Of
are
conducting
these,
poly(3,4-
ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) is the most
attractive
conductivity,
due
chemical
to
its
excellent
stability,
binders,
leading
to
continuous
charge
pathways throughout the material. Specific Li+ transport is typically ignored in
and
both battery electrode binders as well as dual
processability.21 PEDOT is commercially
conductors as a whole. This can also be
available in an aqueous dispersion with
specifically addressed in a functional binder
poly(4-styrenesulfonic acid) (PSS) (Figure
using polymers. Polyethylene oxide (PEO,
ACS Paragon Plus Environment
5
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
Page 6 of 34
Figure 1c) is the most widely studied Li+
In this work, quantities of PEO are
conductive polymer for lithium battery solid
combined with PEDOT:PSS to form a dual
electrolytes.24
conductive,
Its
conductivity
in
the
all-polymer
composite
for
amorphous state arises from ion-dipole
applications requiring both electronic and Li+
interactions between Li+ and lone pair
conductivity, as well as mechanical properties
electrons on PEO oxygen, along with its
including adhesion, structure and flexibility,
flexible chains that allow ion mobility.25 PEO
such as a highly functional binder in lithium-
has previously been combined with PEDOT
based battery electrodes. Furthermore, the
with
electronic
processing is water-based, eliminating toxic,
conductivity both in small quantities,26 and in
high-cost organic solvents.30 The scope of
large quantities to, for example, improve
this work involves the thorough materials
mechanical properties for electro-spinning
characterization of the composite, followed
applications27 and form a mixed conductor for
by an electrochemical analysis of the
the
intent
electrochemical
to
enhance
supercapacitors.28
In
composite,
its
parent
materials,
and
addition, PEO has also been combined
conventional binder material under vigorous
previously with another conducting polymer,
LIB cell conditions to evaluate potential for
poly(pyrrole), as a coating for LIB cathode
lithium cell electrode/binder applications (in
storage materials to successfully access
the absence of storage materials). The
greater capacity.29 Exploiting the greater
development
mechanical
of
(“PEDOT-PEO”) has potential to minimize
PEDOT:PSS longer-chain PEO in a bulk
the binder-active material ratio while also
matrix compared to a coating approach is the
improving
next logical progression.
properties simultaneously to enhance energy
and
transport
properties
of
this
electron
material
and
ion
concept
transport
ACS Paragon Plus Environment
6
Page 7 of 34 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
density, power density and cyclability in
PEDOT:PSS and PEO stock solutions were
electrochemical systems. In addition to
combined
conductivity
resulting
vigorously for ~3 min using a vortex mixer.
morphologies are thoroughly characterized to
Solutions could be drop-cast onto the desired
unravel the mechanism of dual charge
substrate (glass, conductive glass, metal
transport. This novel all-polymer electrode
spacers) and dried at room temperature
binder is (elemental) carbon-free, and is
overnight, followed by an additional 4 hr at
shown to have special dual conductive
100°C under vacuum. Solutions were always
properties.
drop-cast immediately after mixing. The
optimization,
the
in
sample
vials
and
mixed
2. METHODS
conventional electrode matrix consisting of
2.1. Synthesis of materials. PEDOT:PSS
CC-binder was fabricated by combining
was purchased from Ossila Ltd. under the
Super P (Alfa Aesar) with PVDF (Alfa
trade name Heraeus CleviosTM PH 1000,
Aesar)
which came as a 1.0–1.3 wt% (1:2.5
methylpyrrolidone (NMP) to form a solution
PEDOT:PSS ratio) aqueous dispersion. PEO
of the same weight percent as the polymer
(MW=5 MDa, “PEO-5M”) was purchased
mixtures herein, followed by 20 min pulsed
from Sigma-Aldrich and was dissolved in
ultrasonication (Misonix).
in
a
2:1
ratio
with
N-
distilled water by heating and stirring to make
2.2. Physical Characterization. Electronic
a 0.01 g mL-1 50/50 v/v water/methanol
conductivity was measured on samples drop-
solution. PEO of other molecular weights
cast on glass pieces using a Signatone S3042
were also purchased from Sigma-Aldrich and
four point probe with Keithley SCS4200
were used in select confirmation experiments
current source and voltage measurement
(e.g. Figure S2). Desired proportions of the
ACS Paragon Plus Environment
7
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
Page 8 of 34
digital interface, and calculated using the
analyzer, and was oscillated with a 10 mV ac
standard equation (1),
perturbation (no dc control) from 105–10-1 Hz. The ionic resistance was deduced from
= 1/[( /ln (2)) × (/)
the width of the 45° high-frequency region of
× ] (1) where σ is the conductivity; V/I is the inverse
the resulting Nyquist plots (Figure S1)
slope of the resulting I-V curve by applying
between the high- and (extrapolated) low-
current, I, across the outer two probes and
frequency intercepts (Zreal), and accounting
measuring the voltage drop, V, between the
for electrode area (A) and thickness (t),
inner two probes; and t is the film thickness.
calculated from equation (2).31
Ionic conductivity was measured on samples drop-cast on a 1 cm2 masked area of
= /(3(() − (ℎℎ))
conductive glass electrode pieces (“TEC 15”,
× ) (2)
Hartford Glass Inc., Hartford, IN). Sample open
The distance on the impedance plane between
electrochemical cell containing 0.5 M LiClO4
the origin and the high frequency intercept is
in propylene carbonate to mimic the inert
commonly
electrolyte used in LIB cells, with the
resistance, which is not included in the
working electrode lead attached to the
calculation.
electrodes
were
placed
in
an
attributed
to
the
solution
and
Film thicknesses were measured using a
reference/counter electrode lead attached to
Dektak 150 Surface Profiler. Transmission
an epoxy-sealed platinum foil in a 2-electrode
electron microscopy (TEM) images were
configuration. The cell was connected to a
taken from a FEI Tecnai G2 Spirit Twin at
Solartron
120 keV accelerating voltage with a Gatan
exposed
conductive
1255B
glass,
frequency
response
ACS Paragon Plus Environment
8
Page 9 of 34 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
CCD camera. TEM samples were prepared by
Differential scanning Calorimetry (DSC)
drop-casting thick films of polymers and
thermograms were collected on a TA
cutting them into small pieces with a razor
Instruments Discovery calorimeter from 25°C
blade, which were then glued onto a stub
– 225°C in aluminum T-zero pans containing
head. The stub was placed in a Leica UC7
drop-cast
ultramicrotome
cryochamber
substrates and cut into small pieces with a
accessory. Glass knives were cut with a Leica
razor blade. Wide-angle x-ray diffraction
EM KMR3 Knife Maker. The chamber, knife,
(WAXD) samples were prepared by drop-
and sample were allowed to equilibrate to -45
casting materials on glass pieces, and were
°C (near the glass transition temperature for
measured on a Bruker D8 General Area
PEO31) for 15 min before advancing the knife
Detector Diffraction System (GADDS) with a
stage at the sample. The sample was rocked at
0.5 mm collimator.
with
FC7
samples
removed
from
glass
a rate of 0.1 cm s-1, and the knife was
2.3. Electrochemical Characterization.
advanced to cut 40 nm thick slices. Sample
Samples were assembled into cathodes using
flakes were collected from the knife edge
CR2016 coin cell parts (Pred Materials
using a loop with water, followed by
International, Inc. New York) by drop-casting
subsequent
lacey
0.5 mL sample solutions onto coin cell
carbon/copper grids (Ted Pella). Atomic force
spacers directly. Spacers were dried overnight
microscopy (AFM) images of materials drop-
at room temperature, followed by drying
cast on glass were gathered on a Veeco
overnight at 100°C under vacuum to remove
Nanoscope V with a Dimension 3100 D3005-
all water possible. Spacers were assembled
1 detector using a Bruker cantilever (k = 40 N
into coin cells in an argon glove box
m-1) in tapping mode at 4 μm s-1 scan rate.
(MBRAUN) (water-free) with Celgard 2400
deposition
onto
ACS Paragon Plus Environment
9
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
Page 10 of 34
polyethylene separator and 1 M LiPF6 in 1:1
from 0.5 to 300 PEO:PEDOT by monomer
ethylene
carbonate
from their aqueous solutions. Upon vigorous
solvent electrolyte system (BASF), in the
mixing, the homogeneous aqueous solutions
order of: 20 μL electrolyte, separator, 20 μL
could be easily cast onto the desired substrate
electrolyte, separator, 20 μL electrolyte,
under ambient conditions. A library of
followed by a lithium metal counter electrode
varying PEO:PEDOT composites were cast
(0.75 mm thickness, 99.9%, Alfa Aesar).
on conductive and non-conductive glass to
Galvanostatic cycling was carried out on a
measure
Solartron 1470E battery cycler, allowing
electrochemical
charging for 12 hr/5 V and indefinite
(EIS) and electronic conductivity by four
discharge time to 1.5 V. Cyclic voltammetry
point probe, respectively. The values obtained
(CV) was performed on the coin cells using a
are shown in Figure 2. The ionic conductivity
EG&G Princeton Applied Research 263A
was calculated from the resulting Nyquist
potentiostat from 1.5 V to 4 V at a scan rate
plots (Figure S1) using an established EIS
of 0.1 mV s-1. All potentials reported herein
model for mixed ionic-electronic conductors,
are relative to Li/Li+.
which assumes the electronic conductivity is
carbonate/dimethyl
the
significantly
ionic
conductivity
impedance
greater
than
by
spectroscopy
the
ionic
3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
conductivity.33-35 According to Figure 2, this
3.1. Charge Transport Properties. It is
assumption is valid, and therefore it is
expected that blending a conductor and an
reasonable to consider the values calculated
insulator for a given carrier will lower the
from the EIS method reflect only ion
conduction of the other carrier. PEO and
transport. In addition, it can be assumed that
PEDOT:PSS were combined in varying ratios
the observed impedance is due exclusively to
ACS Paragon Plus Environment
10
Page 11 of 34 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
compensating the excess sulfonic acid groups on PSS are driven out of the composite matrix when the material (PEDOT) is positively polarized because PSS is immobilized, and are likewise drawn into the matrix upon negative polarization (transport of anions is excluded). The ionic conductivity of pure Figure 2. Electronic (squares) and ionic
PEDOT:PSS is measured to be 1×10-5 S cm-
(triangles) conductivities of varying PEDOT-
1
PEO polymer composite ratios (light blue),
conductors.37 No other studies were found
PEDOT:PSS (dark blue), and 2:1 Super P-
that analyzed Li+ transport in PEDOT. When
PVDF (black).
PEO is incorporated, the ionic conductivity
the working electrode, which is relatively
steadily increases, and peaks at 8×10-5 S cm-
thick and porous compared to the planar
1
, which is comparable to known Li+
for the 20:1 PEO:PEDOT monomer
platinum counter electrode. While ClO4- is
combination. This ratio amounts to 64 wt%
also present in the test electrolyte, it is
PEO, and is in good agreement with reported
expected to be repelled by the large amount
values for pure PEO in its conductive state.25
of negatively charged PSS immobilized in the
However, beyond this point, the conductivity
polymer matrix, and so it is assumed that Li+
is not proportional to the amount of PEO
will be the dominant charges transported in
present, as the value declines for higher
this matieral.36 Here, acidic PSS charge-
loadings. The 300:1 PEO:PEDOT composite
compensated PEDOT in its native, positively
is 97 wt% PEO, and thus the ionic
charged conductive state. Cations (Li+)
conductivity with a
large presence of
ACS Paragon Plus Environment
11
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
Page 12 of 34
PEDOT:PSS is greater than nearly pure PEO
increase of more than 2 orders of magnitude.
in these conditions.
The conductivity decreases by half but pure
remains within this range when the ratio is yet
PEDOT:PSS was found to be 4.2×10-1 S cm-
again increased to 85:1, which yields a
1
material that contains 89 wt% insulating
The
electronic
conductivity
of
, which is in good agreement with literature as-
PEO. It is not until the PEO loading is
purchased PEDOT:PSS is in its conductive
increased to 97 wt% (only trace amounts of
state, validating the assumption of large
PEDOT) that the conductivity decreases by 5
electronic
ionic
orders of magnitude (< 1×10-4 S cm-1). This
conductivity for the EIS model (above). A
trend is reproducible for other molecular
standard conductive binder mixture, Super P
weights of PEO (400 kDa, 4 kDa, and 400
CC and PVDF structural polymer, were cast
Da- liquid at RT) (Figure S2). This electronic
from a 2:1 ratio in NMP and the material was
conductivity for the 20:1 composite is
found to have a lower conductivity than pure
improved by 2.5 orders of magnitude
PEDOT:PSS. As PEO is incorporated with
compared to the conventional matrix material
PEDOT:PSS, it is logical that the electronic
(1.6×10-1 S cm-1). Therefore, both the ionic
conductivity
will
the
and electronic conductivities are maximized
concentration
of
decreases,
at the 20:1 (64 wt%) PEO:PEDOT ratio. The
diminishing continuous transport pathways.
formation of a mixed conductor between
However, the conductivity is practically
PEDOT and PEO is in agreement with
unaffected when PEO:PEDOT < 10:1. When
previous work,28 and these measurements
the ratio increases to 20:1, the electronic
quantify the optimal values and expose a non-
conductivity surges to nearly 50 S cm-1, an
intuitive trend of improved ionic and
reports.21
This
also
indicates
conductivity
that
versus
decrease PEDOT
as
ACS Paragon Plus Environment
12
Page 13 of 34 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
Figure 3. TEM images with inset AFM-phase images (1 μm2) of a) PEDOT:PSS, b) 4:1 (25 wt%) composite, c) 20:1 (64 wt%) composite, and d) 85:1 (89 wt%) composite. The thick black lines in the TEM images are the lacey carbon grid upon which sample slices are suspended.
ACS Paragon Plus Environment
13
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
Page 14 of 34
electronic conductivity with a large proportion of
studies and has been interpreted as conductive
PEO incorporated, which is highly desirable in a
PEDOT globular domains encapsulated in a PSS
dual conductive material.
matrix,38,39 where the conductive and non-
3.2. Morphological and Structural Analysis.
conductive domains appear as bright and dark respectively.40
The 20:1 polymer composite possesses attractive
regions
but unexpected properties. Therefore, it is
Conversely, the more electron absorbing PEDOT
critical to understandthe resulting structural
represents the dark areas in the case of TEM
features underlying the enhanced functionality;
imaging. The concentration of PEDOT domains
specifically, why Li+ transport is higher in
is sufficient for forming long-range pathways for
PEDOT-PEO than pure PEO and why electron
conductivity throughout bulk films.
transport is improved when less electronic conductor
is
present.
Figure
3
shows
in
AFM
imaging,
Upon introduction of 25 wt% PEO, light (dark) regions in the TEM (AFM) expand, and
transmission electron microscopy
occupy a greater amount of space (Figure 3b).
(TEM) and atomic force microscopy AFM
This is the PEO favorably associating with the
(phase) imaging performed on composites of
PSS-rich phase, which is expected given their
varying PEO:PEDOT ratios in order to extricate
similar solvation properties and potential for
the morphological structure of the blends that
favorable ion-dipole interactions. The agreeable
might be responsible for transport phenomena.
interaction between PSS and PEO has been
PEDOT:PSS shows obvious phase separation
studied before in a similar system, and has been
using both techniques, indicating that although
shown to drive phase separation of PEDOT from
electrostatically bound, the PEDOT and PSS
the electronically insulating PSS chains when a
have unfavorable mixing parameters and form
small amount of low molecular weight PEO is
~100 nm globular-shaped conductive and non-
used as a dopant.26 These features are extended
conductive
This
when PEO is loaded to 64 wt% (Figure 3c), the
morphology is in agreement with previous
ratio giving the highest electronic and ionic
domains
(Figure
3a).
ACS Paragon Plus Environment
Page 15 of 34 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
conductivities. While the presence of the
at the lowest weight fractions of PEDOT,
PEDOT phase noticeably diminishes as PEO is
resulting still in enhanced conductivity, although
added, its domains are denser and more
reduced compared to the highly continuous
interconnected than pristine PEDOT:PSS. This is
morphology of the 20:1 composite.
especially evident in the 20:1 composite, where
It has been shown using numerous approaches
PEDOT ultimately forms a webbed morphology
that the electronic conductivity of PEDOT:PSS
throughout the frame examined. This structure
is enhanced with a small introduction of dopant
creates a completely connected pathway for the
in the form of ions, surfactants, ionic liquids and
flow of charge. Additionally, the increased
solvents.21 While the precise mechanism is not
electron density observed in TEM for the
fully elucidated, most studies attribute the
PEDOT domains at these concentrations suggest
phenomenon to effects by the PSS-dopant
denser and therefore more efficient packing of
interaction, which increases the unfavorable
PEDOT chains, which will also lower flow
solvation space and in turn removes steric and
resistance. When PEO is loaded to a 85:1 ratio
ionic
(89 wt%), the PSS-PEO phase dominates (Figure
formation.41 In cases where ethylene glycol and
3d). While there is a clear shift to a more
poly(ethylene glycol) (low molecular weight
disperse morphology in the TEM image, the
PEO) are included as the dopant, this effectively
AFM image shows that the remaining PEDOT is
allows for the ordering of PEDOT chains to a
further densely packed into a thin yet highly
more extended and linear secondary structure,
continuous
However,
and drives PEDOT domains into the randomly
compared to the 20:1 composite, the web
branched web morphology observed in Figure
structure is more branched, and, due to the very
3.42,43 This intensifies molecular interactions
low PEDOT concentration, more branch termini
between PEDOT chains which, forced to closer
are
proximity, induce hydrogen bonding and π–π
present.
web
These
morphology.
images
illustrate
that
interconnected phase domains are present even
shielding
stacking
among
of
the
PEDOT
during
conjugated
film
thiophene
15 ACS Paragon Plus Environment
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
Page 16 of 34
backbone. The linear PEDOT also prefers the quinoid conformation to the benzoid, common in pristine PEDOT:PSS, which has a higher degree of
electron
delocalization
and
hence
conductivity.44 Along with morphological domain structure, the degree of crystallinity strongly impacts the ion conductivity of PEO.25 This semi-crystalline polymer has a low glass transition temperature well below room temperature, but is typically highly crystalline in the neat form at room temperature, with a melting point of about 60° to 70°C.45 To gain further insight into the structurefunction
relationship,
thermal
and
x-ray
diffraction analyses were performed to determine the impact to the crystallinity and melt behavior of the resulting composite by blending with PEDOT:PSS (Figure 4). Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) thermograms (Figure 4a)
Figure 4. a) DSC thermograms of 4:1 (light blue), 20:1 (green), 85:1 (orange), 300:1 (red) polymer composites, and PEO-5M (grey) (inset: magnification of 4:1 and 20:1 composite); b) wide-angle x-ray diffractograms of varying compositions of polymer composites.
were used to determine the (peak) melting
20:1 composite. This is a meaningful drop in
temperatures (Tm) (Table 1). PEO-5M has a
melt point and is anticipated due to blending of
measured (Tm) of 67.7 °C, which is in agreement
PEO with PSS chains. PEDOT:PSS alone does
with the literature value.46 Upon blending, Tm
not exhibit features in its thermogram as it is
steadily decreases in correlation with the amount
fully amorphous,47 which is in agreement with
of PEDOT:PSS, ultimately to 59.9 °C for the
previous analyses.48
16 ACS Paragon Plus Environment
Page 17 of 34 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
Table 1. Thermal properties of Polymer
1. Because there is a discrepancy for standard
Composites.
heat of fusion (ΔHf°) given a strong dependence on molecular weight,32 the values here are
PEO:PEDOT PEO monomer content ratio (wt%)
Tm (°C)
PEO-5M
100
67.7
--
300:1
97
64.2
+6.5
wt% and 11 wt% for the 300:1 and 85:1
85:1
89
61.9
+15.1
composites, respectively), the crystallinity is
20:1
64
59.9
-95.3
actually greater than pure PEO, which is the
4:1
25
--
-100
Crystallinity change (%)
calculated using PEO-5M as a standard. When PEDOT:PSS is present in small quantities (3
result of the measured values of ΔHf being larger than PEO. This implies that although the melt
It can therefore be inferred that PEDOT:PSS point is depressed, there is increased ordering destabilizes the intermolecular forces that drive within the phase-segregated domains that are crystallization because it interferes with PEOformed in the interconnected morphologies at PEO chain interactions. This is in agreement intermediate concentrations. Thus, more overall with the above morphology experiments, which energy is required to fully melt the material, determined that PSS interacts distinctly with which
strongly
suggests
that
different
PEO due to more favored thermodynamic intermolecular forces are introduced. Given solvation properties. Further, the disruption to previous evidence in this report, it is likely that the thermal stability of the PEO matrix by these are strong interactions between PEO and PEDOT networks on the nanoscale likely adds to the introduced PSS, even at these small the destabilization effect to decrease Tm. concentrations. This is supported by the fact that Because the composite consists of amorphous the larger crystallinity resides with the 85:1 and crystalline components, the crystallinity of composite compared to the 300:1 composite, PEDOT-PEO composites was calculated from which
contains
less
PEDOT:PSS.
When
the heat of fusion (ΔHf) values for melting events additional
PEDOT:PSS
is
introduced,
the
in the thermograms (Figure 4a), shown in Table 17 ACS Paragon Plus Environment
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
Page 18 of 34
crystallinity is drastically reduced (to 95% for
in the TEM and AFM micrographs in Figure 3.
the 20:1 composite, which still contains 64 wt%
This is also supported by the DSC thermograms,
crystallizable PEO). This suggests that there is a
which show no Tm peak for composites < 20:1
change in the nature of the PEO-PSS interaction,
(Figure 4a). For composites ≥ 20:1, an increasing
leading to very low crystallinity in a composite
excess of PEO crystallizes within the blend as
containing a highly crystallizable polymer. This
the concentration of PSS decreases and PEO is
finding is consistent with a previous report of
in excess. This mechanism is in agreement with
crystallinity depression with low molecular
the more isolated, spherically shaped domains
weight PEO crosslinked to PSS in a similar
observed for the 85:1 composite in the TEM
composite.27 These observations are supported
micrograph in Figure 3d, and is likely related to
using wide angle x-ray diffraction (WAXD)
the formation of spherulites in PEO-containing
(Figure 4b), which shows that the 20:1 ratio is
blends, as reported previously.42
the onset of observable crystallinity, given the
Of the
composites
examined,
both
the
formation of peaks near 23°, 26°, 32° and 36°,
transport properties and structure of the 20:1 (64
which coincide with peaks for pristine PEO.
wt%) ratio are the most interesting, since this
Composites of lower ratios (more PEDOT:PSS-
combination yields both the highest electronic
like) than the 20:1 composite exhibit only an
and ionic conductivity and possesses a structure
amorphous shoulder between 17° and 30°, while
that is nearing the point of crystallization of
composites of ≥ 20:1 ratio contain correlating
PEO. It is apparent that the presence of PEO is
peak intensities characteristic of pristine PEO
necessary to enhance conductivity, but only in
superimposed on the amorphous shoulder. From
the amorphous phase, where PEO and PSS
this trend, it can be inferred that composites
until
20:1),
the
when
onset the
of
ionic
including
this
and
harsh
work
concentrates
discharging
solvents,
on
processes.
high
the
The
potentials,
conductivity begins to decrease (in Figure 2).
reactive salts and exhaustive charge movement
The trends observed in these DSC and WAXD
throughout cycling, are taxing on the electrode
experiments also pointed to these conclusions
materials. Conducting polymers, in particular,
when the same experiment was performed using
are already known to undergo unfavorable
19 ACS Paragon Plus Environment
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
Page 20 of 34
processes at even modest potentials in aqueous
which displays negligible Li capacity, and
conditions, including overoxidation, whereby
PEDOT:PSS, which contains a slight discharge
electrochemical degradation of the polymer leads
plateau that indicates charge storage in the
to loss of electronic conductivity.49 Of this
electroactive thiophene backbone of PEDOT
family, PEDOT is known as the most stable,
(Figure S3).51 The capacity of the composite is
although reports have shown its degradation in
approximately 40% that of pure PEDOT:PSS,
similar conditions.50 Therefore, it is critical to
which is in agreement with the PEDOT:PSS
examine the response of the PEDOT-containing
concentration in this material (36 wt%). The faradaic efficiency of the composite, its
composite in specific LIB conditions. Lithium coin cells with various electrode
parent materials, and conventional binder system
materials were cycled between 1.5 and 5 V, the
(2:1 Super P-PVDF) as a function of cycling was
two extremes of all potential anodic and cathodic
measured in order to reveal electrochemical
storage
and
stability (Figure 5). Initially cycling slowly at 1
LiCoPO4/LixNi0.5Mn1.5O4, respectively),3 which
mA g-1, both the conventional binder and PEO
is a larger window than is typically examined in
are near-unit efficiency. PEDOT:PSS has a
the literature. Because dual conductors are likely
measured efficiency of 200%, suggesting that
to be incorporated into electrochemical systems
degradative processes are likely occurring to the
in a passive (e.g. non-redox) role, figures of
conjugated backbone under the highly oxidative
merit such as charge capacity and faradaic
conditions,50 resulting in freed charges being
efficiency for charge storage purposes are
introduced to the cell. The composite has an
unimportant.
useful
initial efficiency of ~90%, which implies a
indicators of electrochemical stability in a
different electrochemical process associated with
lithium cell environment. The PEDOT-PEO
its PEDOT content resulting in charge lost. Upon
composite exhibits a charge-discharge trace that
further cycling, PEDOT:PSS has < 100%
is qualitatively a compromise between PEO,
efficiency, going as low as 74% after 50 cycles
materials
However,
(graphite
these
are
20 ACS Paragon Plus Environment
Page 21 of 34 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
composite
exhibit
(extremely
rapid
immeasurable charge
and
cycling
discharge).
However, this does not mean that parasitic side reactions occur at the high cycle rate that irreversibly
degrade
the
materials,
as
its
conjugation (and therefore conductivity) is in tact, and its capacity does not fade considerably after this cycling treatment (not shown). It Figure 5. Faradaic efficiency at varying rates (in mA g-1) for CR2016 lithium coin cells containing PEO-5M (grey), PEDOT:PSS (blue), polymer composite (64 wt% PEO) (green), and
should be noted that the presence of water can also be the cause of electrochemical side processes that interfere with the charge and discharge processes and hence the faradaic efficiency.53 Although preemptive steps were
2:1 Super P-PVDF (no fill) electrodes.
built in to remove water (heating, vacuum, at
1
mA
-1
g ,
implying
a
change
in processing in argon atmosphere), water is known
electrochemical process to side reactions that
to be locked by H-bonding in PSS,54 explaining
result in a loss of charges. In contrast, PEO and the effects prominent in both the PEDOT:PSS the composite stabilize to near 100% efficiency, and composite samples. The conventional binder which is unexpected due to the reported material
undergoes
very
significant
side
instability of PEO at high potentials,52 and that reactions in response to the higher rates, with a the composite contains a large amount of susceptible PEDOT:PSS. When the rate is
low efficiency (19%) at 10 mA g-1 and > 100% efficiency (192%) at 100 mA g-1, implying
increased to 10 mA g-1, the polymer materials different electrochemical reactive modes that unexpectedly possess near-unit efficiency, and it result in diminished and added charges to the -1
is not until when a rate of 100 mA g is applied cell, respectively. Upon returning to the initial that both the PEO and 21 ACS Paragon Plus Environment
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
Page 22 of 34
rate of 1 mA g-1, all materials tested express near-unit
efficiency,
signifying
that
side
reactions cease and the materials stabilize. This behavior is akin to the formation of the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI layer), in which a stable layer must form as a result of reactions between the electrode and electrolyte during initial cycling before the electrode is stabilized
Figure 6. Fifth cycle of cyclic voltammograms
for the bulk of the cell lifetime.55 We emphasize
(0.1 mV s-1) of CR2016 lithium coin cells
that this experiment elucidates the stability of the
containing the 2:1 Super P-PVDF conventional
materials (reactivity of charges enterting/exiting
binder (black), pure PEDOT:PSS (blue), and the
the matrix) under electrochemical conditions and
polymer composite (64 wt% PEO) (green).
is not tied to their inherent conductivity. That
used as a storage material in LIB anodes and
these cells continue to operate after vigorous
therefore
cycling conditions implies their conductivity is
electrochemical
not detrimentally affected.
processes.56 The CV for this material exhibits
would
participate
in
the
intercalation/deintercalation
To more closely examine electrochemical
minimal charging/discharging peak separation
events, cyclic voltammetry (CV) was performed
between 2.7–3.7 V, which presumably indicates
on fresh cells at a rate of 0.1 mV s-1. The
the lithium charge transfer between the material
resulting current response as a function of
and lithium metal electrodes. PEDOT:PSS
applied potential is shown in Figure 6. The
displays good stability in the presence of
conventional
electrolyte at high potentials. The charging peak
matrix
material
possesses
electroactive character from its capacitive-like
occurs at the same potential (3.5 V) as the Super
trace. This is expected, since the CC Super P is
P-PVDF. Because each cell examined possesses
similar to graphite, which is very commonly
the same anode (lithium metal), this charging
22 ACS Paragon Plus Environment
Page 23 of 34 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
peak is presumably plating of lithium onto the
rather than side reactions. The discharge peak is
counter electrode for all cases. The discharge
not observable in this voltage window, and was
peak that evolves at 2 V can therefore be
found to occur at an even lower potential than
associated with insertion of Li+ into PEDOT to
1.5 V (Figure S4), signifying that the superior
balance the electrochemical reduction of its
ionic and electronic transport pathways of the
conjugated backbone.57 This peak position is 1.5
composite
V lower relative to the charging process,
overpotentials.
meaning the conducting polymer facilitates
conductor will result in improved power density
charge
comparative
in Li-based electrochemical devices, since more
overpotential (this is different than the potential
facile movement of charges throughout the
at the start of discharge, which indicates the
electrode will allow for greater currents.
transfer
with
less
result
in
lower
discharge
This suggests that this dual
reduction potential). This is attributable to superior conductive pathways compared to CC
4. CONCLUSIONS
electronic transport. With the addition of
The electronically conductive polymer system
significant amounts of PEO in the polymer
PEDOT:PSS was combined with the lithium ion
composite, erratic behavior is observed at
conductive polymer PEO by mixing and casting
potentials > 4.3 V. This can potentially be
aqueous solutions at ambient conditions to form
attributed to PEO, which was shown to have
composites of varying PEDOT-PEO ratios. For
stability issues at potentials > 4 V,52 and so
the first time, such a composite of polymers is
electrochemically-induced reactions between the
optimized and examined in terms of application
electrode components, electrolyte, and perhaps
to
unwanted residual water may be occurring that
multifunctional binder that is (elemental) carbon-
cause spikes in current in this region. This was
free and considers Li+ transport. The dual
not observed in Figure 5, and so might be the
conductor was found to have greatly enhanced
result of rearrangement to the polymer matrix
transport
lithium-based
cells
properties,
as
both
an
alternative,
electrically
and
23 ACS Paragon Plus Environment
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
Page 24 of 34
ionically, with the addition of large loadings (up
where
to 89 wt%) of PEO. This system is optimal at the
disrupting this unique morphology.
20:1 PEO:PEDOT monomer ratio (64 wt%
The
excess
PEO
begins
electrochemical
to
properties
crystallize,
of
this
PEO), where electronic conductivity is ~45 S
composite were investigated in lithium cells
cm-1 and Li+ conductivity is ~10-4 S cm-1
from 1.5 V to 5 V, and it was found that
(increases of 2 orders of magnitude and 8 fold,
electrochemical processes that occur to polymers
respectively, compared to pristine PEDOT:PSS).
in
The Li+ conductivity is comparable to other
detrimental to transport functions, with high
lithium-based polymer electrolytes at room
faradaic efficiencies stabilizing over cycling and
temperature.24
also
CV showing lower charge transfer overpotential
improved 2.5 orders of magnitude compared to a
due to improved ion and electron transport
conventional
electron
properties. While the evidence from experiments
transport. TEM, AFM, DSC, and WAXD were
performed in this work support this conclusion,
used
structure-function
more rigorous electrochemical testing with
relationship, and it was found that PEO and PSS
emphasis on mechanisms is required in future
interact strongly and drive the formation of
work to fully understand the electrochemical
better-aligned and grouped PEDOT networks
capabilities of this material. We note it will be
such that they form more efficient pathways
important to ensure the complete removal of
throughout the bulk material despite their
water post-casting to decrease electrochemical
decreasing concentration as PEO is added,
side reactions between electrode and electrolyte.
giving to the enhanced electronic conductivity.
Because this preliminary testing is performed
PSS in turn suppresses PEO crystallization,
under purposefully vigorous conditions to
leading to enhanced Li+ conductivity. The
explore the full potential of the material, it is
system is optimal near the saturation point,
expected that the voltages of storage materials to
to
These
binder
expose
conditions
system
the
for
are
high-potential
environments
are
not
24 ACS Paragon Plus Environment
Page 25 of 34 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
be incorporated will be smaller and therefore the
future work. Because the fabrication is a simple
material will be more stable yet.
addition of components into a processable, device
aqueous solution, this is an attractive alternative
applications, the better ionic and electronic
to toxic processing solvents such as NMP and
conductivity can potentially increase power
vigorous dispersion procedures that are costly
density and energy density. With more efficient
and more time consuming. When combining
charge transport compared to conventional
with active materials, the presence of PSS may
binder materials, and all functionality combined
also have dispersion qualities due to its
into a single material, presumably less of the
surfactant nature to prevent agglomeration and
binder phase would be needed to achieve the
maximize surface area in three-dimensional
required conductivity and so the proportion of
electrodes.58 It is also important to note that the
active mass can be increased. Future work
composite morphology will likely be dependent
should include monitoring of the conductive
on fabriction procedure, and it is possible that
properties as a function of cycling in an
other
electrochemical cell environment, and especially
morphologies are attainable by deviating from
the incorporation of active materials with the
the simple drop-casting and curing in ambient
polymer composite for applications of interest
conditions used in this work. The role of phase
such as LIBs. This will also provide information
separation for enhanced conductivty here can be
regarding the ability of the material to retain its
better understoof using conductive AFM.
In
terms
of
electrochemical
interesting,
higher
functioning
unique morphology in real conditions. In
Polymers are already studied heavily for the
addition to the importance of ionic and electronic
LIB electrolyte phase to produce all-solid
conductivity to binder functionality, it should be
systems,59 so it is reasonable that polymer-based
emphasized that a detailed understanding of the
electrodes will form favorable interfaces for
mechanical
adhesion,
charge transport. Additionally, other desirable
flexibility and strength, should be established in
features of polymers such as flexibility may
properties,
including
25 ACS Paragon Plus Environment
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
make for the ability to adapt to many modules and configurations (e.g. wearables and unique
Page 26 of 34
ACKNOWLEDGMENT This publication is based on work funded by
60
folding for improved packing efficiency).
Lastly, the improved transport may enable thicker architectures, which would
further
increase energy density with less to power density.
the
Skolkovo
of
Science
and
Technology (Skoltech), program name “Center for Research, Education and Innovation for Electrochemical Energy Storage” under contract number
ASSOCIATED CONTENT
Institute
186-MRA.
The
authors
wish
to
acknowledge infrastructure support through the
Supporting Information. Nyquist plots from Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research impedance spectroscopy, conductivity as a (MIT), the Center for Materials Science and function of PEO:PEDOT content for PEO of Engineering (MIT) and the Institute for Soldier varying molecular weight, galvanostatic chargeNanotechnologies (MIT). discharge curves, CV of PEDOT-PEO in larger voltage
window
(PDF).
This
Supporting
Information is available free of charge on the ACS Publications website.
REFERENCES (1)
Giesbrecht,
P. K.;
Herbert,
D.
E.
Electrochemical Reduction of Carbon Dioxide to
AUTHOR INFORMATION
Corresponding Author
Methanol in the Presence of Benzannulated
*P. T. Hammond. Email:
[email protected] Dihydropyridine Additives. ACS Energy Lett. 2017, 2, 549-555. (2) Santos, D. M. F.; Sequeira, C. A. C.;
Author Contributions Figueiredo, J. L. Hydrogen Production By The
manuscript
was
written
through Alkaline Water Electrolysis. Quim. Nova 2013,
contributions of all authors. All authors have
36, 1176-1193. given approval to the final version of the manuscript. 26 ACS Paragon Plus Environment
Page 27 of 34 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
(3) Goodenough, J. B.; Kim, Y. Challenges for
(10) Goodenough, J. B.; Huang, Y. H.
Rechargeable Li Batteries. Chem. Mater. 2010,
Alternative Anode Materials for Solid Oxide
22, 587-603.
Fuel Cells. J. Power Sources 2007, 173, 1-10.
(4) Debe, M. K. Electrocatalyst Approaches
(11)
Riess,
I.
–
Mixed
Material
Ionic-Electronic
and Challenges for Automotive Fuel Cells.
Conductors
Properties
and
Nature 2012, 486, 43-51.
Applications. Solid State Ionics 2003, 157, 1-17.
(5) Liu, C.; Li, F.; Ma, L. P.; Cheng, H. M.
(12) Etacheri, V.; Marom, R.; Elazari, R.;
Advanced Materials for Energy Storage. Adv.
Salitra, G.; Aurbach, D. Challenges in the
Mater. 2010, 22, E28-E62.
Development of Advanced Li-ion Batteries: A
(6) Abraham, K. M. Prospects and Limits of Energy Storage in Batteries. J. Phys. Chem. Lett.
Review. Energy Environ. Sci. 2011, 4, 32433262. (13) Inoue, G.; Kawase, M. Numerical and
2015, 6, 830-844. (7) Ren, G. Z.; Ma, G. Q.; Cong, N. Review of Electrical Energy Storage System for Vehicular Applications. Renewable Sustainable Energy
Experimental Evaluation of the Relationship Between
Porous
Electrode
Structure
and
Effective Conductivity of Ions and Electrons in Lithium-ion Batteries. J. Power Sources 2017,
Rev. 2015, 41, 225-236.
342, 476-488. (8) Rodrigues, S.; Faria, F.; Ivaki, A. R.; Cafofo, N.; Chen, X. J.; Mata-Lima, H.; Morgado-Dias, F. Tesla Powerwall: Analysis of Its Use in Portugal and United States. Int. J.
(14) Kang, B.; Ceder, G. Battery Materials for Ultrafast Charging and Discharging. Nature 2009, 458, 190-193. (15) Zhang, B.; Yu, Y.; Liu, Y. S.; Huang, Z.
Power Energy Syst. 2016, 36, 37-43. (9) Litster, S.; McLean, G., PEM Fuel Cell Electrodes. J. Power Sources 2004, 130, 61-76.
D.; He, Y. B.; Kim, J. K. Percolation Threshold of
Graphene
Nanosheets
as
Conductive
27 ACS Paragon Plus Environment
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
Page 28 of 34
Additives in Li4Ti5O12 Anodes of Li-Ion
High Capacity Lithium Battery Electrodes. Adv.
Batteries. Nanoscale 2013, 5, 2100-2106.
Mater. 2011, 23, 4679-4683.
(16) Xu, J. T.; Chou, S. L.; Gu, Q. F.; Liu, H.
(20) Wu, M. Y.; Xiao, X. C.; Vukmirovic, N.;
K.; Dou, S. X. The Effect of Different Binders
Xun, S. D.; Das, P. K.; Song, X. Y.; Olalde-
on
of
Velasco, P.; Wang, D. D.; Weber, A. Z.; Wang,
LiNi1/3Mn1/3C1/3O2 Cathode Material in Lithium
L. W.; Battaglia, V. S.; Yang, W. L.; Liu, G.
Ion Batteries. J. Power Sources 2013, 225, 172-
Toward an Ideal Polymer Binder Design for
178.
High-Capacity Battery Anodes. J. Amer. Chem.
Electrochemical
Properties
(17) Zheng, H. H.; Li, J.; Song, X. Y.; Liu, G.; Battaglia,
V.
S.
A.
Soc. 2013, 135, 12048-12056.
Comprehensive
(21) Shi, H.; Liu, C. C.; Jiang, Q. L.; Xu, J. K.
Understanding of Electrode Thickness Effects on
Effective Approaches to Improve the Electrical
the Electrochemical Performances of Li-Ion
Conductivity of PEDOT:PSS: A Review. Adv.
Battery Cathodes. Electrochim. Acta 2012, 71,
Electron. Mater. 2015, 1, 1-16.
258-265.
(22) Higgins, T. M.; Park, S. H.; King, P. J.;
(18) Cho, S. J.; Choi, K. H.; Yoo, J. T.; Kim, J.
Zhang, C.; MoEvoy, N.; Berner, N. C.; Daly, D.;
H.; Lee, Y. H.; Chun, S. J.; Park, S. B.; Choi, D.
Shmeliov, A.; Khan, U.; Duesberg, G.; Nicolosi,
H.; Wu, Q. L.; Lee, S. Y. Hetero-Nanonet
V.; Coleman, J. N. A Commercial Conducting
Rechargeable Paper Batteries: Toward Ultrahigh
Polymer as Both Binder and Conductive
Energy Density and Origami Foldability. Adv.
Additive
Funct. Mater. 2015, 25, 6029-6040.
Lithium-ion Battery Negative Electrodes. ACS
(19) Liu, G.; Xun, S. D.; Vukmirovic, N.;
for
Silicon
Nanoparticle-Based
Nano 2016, 10, 3702-3713.
Song, X. Y.; Olalde-Velasco, P.; Zheng, H. H.;
(23) Das, P. R.; Komsiyska, L.; Osters, O.;
Battaglia, V. S.; Wang, L. W.; Yang, W. L.
Wittstock, G. PEDOT: PSS as a Functional
Polymers with Tailored Electronic Structure for 28 ACS Paragon Plus Environment
Page 29 of 34 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
Binder for Cathodes in Lithium Ion Batteries. J.
Electrodes. Electrochem. Solid-State Lett. 2000,
Electrochem, Soc. 2015, 162, A674-A678.
3, 213-215.
(24) Ngai, K. S.; Ramesh, S.; Ramesh, K.;
(29) Orinakova, R.; Fedorkova, A.; Orinak, A.
Juan, J. C. A Review of Polymer Electrolytes:
Effect of PPy/PEG conducting polymer film on
Fundamental, Approaches and Applications.
electrochemical
Ionics 2016, 22, 1259-1279.
cathode material for Li-ion batteries. Chemical
(25) Quartarone, E.; Mustarelli, P.; Magistris, A. PEO-Based Composite Polymer Electrolytes.
(26) Wang, T. J.; Qi, Y. Q.; Xu, J. K.; Hu, X. J.; Chen, P. Effects of Poly(ethylene glycol) on Conductivity
of
Poly(3,4-
ethylenedioxythiophene)-Poly(styrenesulfonic acid) Film. Appl. Surf. Sci. 2005, 250, 188-194. (27) Huang, T. M.; Batra, S.; Hu, J. H.; Miyoshi, T.; Cakmak, M. Chemical Crosslinking
of
of
LiFePO4
Papers 2013, 67 (8), 860-875. (30) Du, Z. J.; Rollag, K. M.; Li, J.; An, S. J.; Wood, M.; Sheng, Y.; Mukherjee, P. P.; Daniel,
Solid State Ionics 1998, 110, 1-14.
Electrical
performance
Conducting
Poly(3,4-
C.; Wood, D. L., III. Enabling Aqueous Processing for Crack-free Thick Electrodes. J.
Power Sources 2017, 354, 200-206. (31) Pickup, P. G. Alternating Current Impedance
Study of
Anion-exchange
a
Polymer.
Poly-Pyrrole-based
J.
Chem.
Soc.,
Faraday Trans. 1999, 86, 3631-3636. (32) Bartolotta, A.; Dimarco, G.; Lanza, M.;
ethylenedioxythiophene):Poly(styrenesulfonate)
Carini, G. The Fusion of Ethylene-oxide
(PEDOT:PSS)
Polymers. Nuovo Cimento Soc. Ital. Fis. D 1994,
using
Poly(ethylene
oxide)
(PEO). Polymer 2013, 54, 6455-6462.
16, 825-830.
(28) Ghosh, S.; Inganas, O. Networks of
(33) Siroma, Z.; Sato, T.; Takeuchi, T.; Nagai,
Electron-conducting Polymer in Matrices of Ion-
R.; Ota, A.; Ioroi, T. AC Impedance Analysis of
conducting Polymers- Applications to Fast
Ionic and Electronic Conductivities in Electrode Mixture Layers for an All-solid-state Lithium29
ACS Paragon Plus Environment
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
Page 30 of 34
ion Battery. J. Power Sources 2016, 316, 215-
Solvent-Enhanced Conductivity of PEDOT:PSS
223.
Thing Films. Adv. Funct. Mater. 2008, 18, 865-
(34) Albery, W. J.; Chen, Z.; Horrocks, B. R.; Mount, A. R.; Wilson, P. J.; Bloor, D.;
871. (39) Pingree, L. S. C.; MacLeod, B. A.;
Monkman, A. T.; Elliott, C. M. Spectroscopic
Ginger,
and Electrochemical Studies of Charge-transfer
PEDOT:PSS
in Modified Electrodes. Faraday Discuss. 1989,
Processing Effects on Vertical Charge Transport.
88, 247.
J. Phys. Chem. C 2008, 112, 7922-7927.
D.
S.
The
Films:
Changing Substrate,
Face Bias,
of and
(35) Liu, J. Y.; Davis, N. R.; Liu, D. S.;
(40) Lang, U.; Muller, E.; Naujoks, N.; Dual,
Hammond, P. T. Highly Transparent Mixed
J. Microscopical Investigations of PEDOT:PSS
Electron
Thin Films. Adv. Funct. Mater. 2009, 19, 1215-
and
Proton
Conducting
Polymer
Membranes. J. Mater. Chem. 2012, 22, 1553415539.
1220. (41) Mengistie, D. A.; Wang, P. C.; Chu, C.
(36) Lefebvre, M.; Qi, Z. G.; Rana, D.; Pickup,
W. Effect of Molecular Weight of Additives on
P. G. Chemical Synthesis, Characterization, and
the Conductivity of PEDOT:PSS and Efficiency
Electrochemical
for ITO-free Organic Solar Cells. J. Mater.
Studies
of
Poly(3,4-
ethylenedioxythiophene)/poly(styrene-4sulfonate) Composites. Chem. Mater. 1999, 11, 262-268.
Chem. A 2013, 1, 9907-9915. (42) Hopkins, A. R.; Reynolds, J. R. Crystallization Driven Formation of Conducting
(37) Fergus, J. W. Ceramic and Polymeric Solid Electrolytes for Lithium-ion Batteries. J.
Power Sources 2010, 195, 4554-4569.
Polymer
Networks
in
Polymer
Blends.
Macromolecules 2000, 33, 5221-5226. (43) Crispin, X.; Jakobsson, F. L. E.; Crispin,
(38) Nardes, A. M.; Janssen, R. A. J.;
A.; Grim, P. C. M.; Andersson, P.; Volodin, A.;
Kemerink, M. A Morphological Model for the
van Haesendonck, C.; Van der Auweraer, M.; 30
ACS Paragon Plus Environment
Page 31 of 34 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
Salaneck, W. R.; Berggren, M. The Origin of the
and
High
ethylenedioxythiophene)/poly(styrenesulfonate)
Conductivity
of
Poly(3,4-
Disorder
in
Poly(3,4-
ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate)
Nanofilms. Macromolecules 2015, 48, 5688-
(PEDOT-PSS) Plastic Electrodes. Chem. Mater.
5696.
2006, 18, 4354-4360.
(48) Zhou, J.; Anjum, D. H.; Chen, L.; Xu, X.
(44) Ouyang, J.; Xu, Q. F.; Chu, C. W.; Yang,
Z.; Ventura, I. A.; Jiang, L.; Lubineau, G. The
Y.; Li, G.; Shinar, J. On the Mechanism of
Temperature-dependent
Conductivity
PEDOT/PSS
Films:
ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate)
Morphological,
Mechanical
Film through Solvent Treatment. Polymer 2004,
Analyses. J. Mater. Chem. C 2014, 2, 9903-
45, 8443-8450.
9910.
Enhancement
in
Poly(3,4-
(45) Buckley, C. P.; Kovacs, A. J. Melting
Microstructure Insights and
of from
Electrical
(49) Debiemme-Chouvy, C.; Tran, T. T. M. An
weight
Insight into the Overoxidation of Polypyrrole
Poly(ethylene-oxide) Fractions -2- Folded Chain
Materials. Electrochem. Commun. 2008, 10,
Crystals. Colloid Polym. Sci. 1976, 254, 695-
947-950.
Behavior
of
Low-molecular
715.
(50) Zykwinska, A.; Domagala, W.; Pilawa,
(46) Sanchez-Soto, P. J.; Gines, J. M.; Arias,
B.;
Lapkowski,
A.
Electrochemical
of
Poly(3,4-
M. J.; Novak, C.; Ruiz-Conde, A. Effect of
Overoxidation
Molecular Mass on the Melting Temperature,
ethylenedioxythiophene)-PEDOT
Enthalpy and Entropy of Hydroxy-terminated
means of In Situ ESR Spectroelectrochemistry.
PEO J. Therm. Anal. Calorim. 2002, 67, 189-
Electrochim. Acta 2005, 50, 1625-1633.
197.
studied
by
(51) Julien, C.; Mauger, A.; Vijh, A.; Zaghib,
(47) Zhou, J.; Anjum, D. H.; Lubineau, G.; Li, E. Q.; Thoroddsen, S. T. Unraveling the Order
K. Lithium Batteries; Springer International: Switzerland, 2016. 31
ACS Paragon Plus Environment
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
Page 32 of 34
(52) Harding, J. R.; Amanchukwu, C. V.;
Black as an Anode Active Material for Lithium-
Hammond, P. T.; Shao-Horn, Y. Instability of
ion Batteries. Mater. Chem. Phys. 2011, 130,
Poly(ethylene oxide) upon Oxidation in Lithium-
831-834.
Air Batteries. J. Phys. Chem. C 2015, 119, 69476955.
(57) Zhao, Z.H.; Richardson, G. F.; Meng, Q. S.; Zhu, S. M.; Kuan, H. C.; Ma, J. PEDOT-
(53) Qian, J.; Xu, W.; Bhattacharya, P.;
based Composites as Electrode Materials for
Engelhard, M.; Henderson, W. A.; Zhang, Y.;
Electrochemical Supercapacitors. Nanotechnol.
Zhang, J. G. Dendrite-free Li Deposition Using
2016, 27, 042001.
Trace-amounts of Water as an Electrolyte Additive. Nano Energy 2015, 15, 135-144.
(58) Wang, J.; Musameh, M.; Lin, Y. H. Solubilization of Carbon Nanotubes by Nafion
(54) Zhou, J.; Anjum, D. H.; Chen, L.; Xu, X.;
Toward
the
Preparation
of
Amperometric
Ventura, I. A.; Jiang, L.; Lubineau, G. The
Biosensors. J. Amer. Chem. Soc. 2003, 125,
Temperature-dependent
2408-2409.
Microstructure
PEDOT/PSS
Films:
Morphological,
Mechanical
Insights and
of from
Electrical
Analyses. J. Mater. Chem. C 2014, 2, 99039910.
Electrolytes. In Annual Review of Materials
Research, Vol. 43; Clarke, D. R., Ed; Annual Reviews: Palo Alto, 2013; pp 503-525.
(55) Li, D. J.; Danilov, D.; Zhang, Z. R.; Chen, H. X.; Yang, Y.; Notten, P. H. L. Modeling the SEI-Formation
(59) Hallinan, D. T.; Balsara, N. P. Polymer
on
Graphite
Electrodes
in
LiFePO4 Batteries. J. Electrochem. Soc. 2015,
(60) Gwon, H.; Hong, J.; Kim, H.; Seo, D. H.; Jeon, S.; Kang, K. Recent Progress on Flexible Lithium
Rechargeable
Batteries.
Energy
Environ. Sci. 2014, 7, 538-551.
162, A858-A869. (56) Gnanamuthu, R. M.; Lee, C. W. Electrochemical Properties of Super P Carbon 32 ACS Paragon Plus Environment
Page 33 of 34 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
Table of Contents Graphic
33 ACS Paragon Plus Environment
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
Page 34 of 34
ACS Paragon Plus Environment
34