Lithium-doped rotator phases as ion conducting electrolytes

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Roland Böhmer
• Subject Area: Physical Chemistry of Solids and Surfaces, Material Characterisation ; Experimental Condensed Matter Physics
• Term: from 2019 to 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 429918288

Numerous current research activities aim at developing efficient Lithium containing energy storage materials. In addition to a high electrical conductivity these materials should feature good mechanical stability. Ionically doped succinonitrile-based solid-state electrolytes are promising in this respect. The rotator phase succinonitrile, in mixed crystals with glutaronitrile, is characterized by fast reorientational molecular motions. So far, in these systems the rotation-translation-coupling and deviations thereof were examined mostly using impedance spectroscopy. To elucidate the molecular and ionic dynamics of these electrolytes on a microscopic level, this project focuses on the application of magnetic resonance techniques: Here, deuteron NMR is well suited to investigate the crystalline matrix and lithium NMR provides a sensitive probe of the mobile charge carriers. By combining spin relaxometry, multidimensional spectroscopy, and diffusometry, the interplay of molecular and ionic jump processes will be elucidated with the goal to gain new insights into the emergence of high ionic conductivities as well as into the role of local-field, correlation, and association effects in solid electrolytes.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants