Single-Ion Conducting Polymer Electrolytes for Lithium Metal Batteries

Titelangaben

Badri, Rahul ; Majumder, Subhasish Basu ; Agarwal, Seema ; Banerjee, Susanta:
Single-Ion Conducting Polymer Electrolytes for Lithium Metal Batteries.
In: Progress in Polymer Science. Bd. 179 (2026) . - 102139.
ISSN 0079-6700
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.progpolymsci.2026.102139

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Abstract

This review offers a concise overview of the growing global energy demand and the increasing reliance on lithium-metal batteries (LMBs) as sustainable energy solutions. It highlights persistent safety challenges—namely flammability and short-circuiting during fast charge–discharge cycles—that hinder broader deployment in e-mobility and portable power systems. Despite extensive efforts to improve battery safety through electrolyte redesign, a fundamental understanding of failure mechanisms remains essential. The review revolves around single-ion-conducting polymer electrolytes (SICPEs), a promising alternative to conventional liquid dual-ion electrolytes. It examines their structural design, the incorporation of functional ion groups into polymer backbones or pendant structures, and the ion-transport mechanisms that govern their conductivity. Key thermal, mechanical, and electrochemical criteria for selecting and engineering SICPEs for battery applications are also discussed. Limitations of DICEs—such as concentration polarisation, dendrite formation, and dead-lithium accumulation—are analysed to underscore the advantages of SICPEs, whose immobilised anions suppress these degradation pathways and increase battery safety and lifespan. Reported coin-cell data from the literature are reviewed to demonstrate the mitigation of dendritic growth in LMBs using SICPEs, along with insights into synthesis, fabrication, and laboratory-scale implementation. SICPEs are systematically classified based on polymer backbone chemistry, including several high-performance fully aromatic systems. Comparative analyses of their thermal, chemical, mechanical, and electrochemical properties—considering variations in functional groups, backbone architecture, wettability, processing methods, and ion-exchange capacities—are presented. Their performance is contrasted with that of state-of-the-art electrolytes to highlight their relative advantages. Bridging the gap between fundamental polymer chemistry and practical energy storage, this review constructs a robust structure–property–performance blueprint that decodes a decade of innovation (2013–present) to catalyze the rational design and industrial scaling of aromatic SICPEs in next-generation lithium-metal batteries.