We use rigorous group-theoretic techniques and molecular dynamics to investigate the connection between structural symmetry and ionic conductivity in the garnet family of solid Li-ion electrolytes. We identify new ordered phases and order-disorder phase transitions that are relevant for conductivity optimization. Ionic transport in this materials family is controlled by the frustration of the Li sublattice caused by incommensurability with the host structure at noninteger Li concentrations, while ordered phases explain regions of sharply lower conductivity. Disorder is therefore predicted to be optimal for ionic transport in this and other conductor families with strong Li interaction.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.116.055901 | DOI Listing |
Chem Commun (Camb)
January 2025
School of Chemistry, UNSW, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
Concentration gradients of simple salts in microfluidic channels control the transport of a common photoredox catalyst.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFACS Appl Mater Interfaces
January 2025
Institute for Theoretical Physics, Georg-August University of Göttingen, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.
A Single-Chain-in-Mean-Field (SCMF) algorithm was introduced to study block copolymer electrolytes in nonequilibrium conditions. This method self-consistently combines a particle-based description of the polymer with a generalized diffusion equation for the ionic fluxes, thus exploiting the time scale separation between fast ion motion and the slow polymer relaxation and self-assembly. We apply this computational method to study ion fluxes in electrochemical cells containing poly(ethylene oxide)-polystyrene (PEO-PS) block copolymers with added lithium salt.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Chem Phys
January 2025
Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560012, India.
Heteropolar two-dimensional materials, including hexagonal boron nitride (hBN), are promising candidates for seawater desalination and osmotic power harvesting, but previous simulation studies have considered bare, unterminated nanopores in molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. There is presently a lack of force fields to describe functionalized nanoporous hBN in aqueous media. To address this gap, we conduct density functional theory (DFT)-based ab initio MD simulations of hBN nanopores surrounded by water molecules.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFACS Nano
January 2025
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Texas Center for Superconductivity at the University of Houston, University of Houston, Houston, Texas 77204, United States.
Magnesium batteries offer a safer alternative for next-generation battery technology due to their insusceptibility to dendrite deposition. Selective membranes tailored for magnesium-ion conduction will unlock further technological advancement. Herein, we demonstrate fluorine-free magnesiated sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (Mg-SPEEK) selective membranes capable of facilitating magnesium-ion conduction while effectively rejecting soluble organic species.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNat Commun
January 2025
Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
Water is a critical component in polyelectrolyte anion exchange membranes (AEMs). It plays a central role in ion transport in electrochemical systems. Gaining a better understanding of molecular transport and conductivity in AEMs has been challenged by the lack of a general methodology capable of capturing and connecting water dynamics, water structure, and ionic transport over time and length scales ranging from those associated with individual bond vibrations and molecular reorientations to those pertaining to macroscopic AEM performance.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!