Electrolyte Membranes with Biomimetic Lithium-Ion Channels

High-performance lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) demand efficient and selective transport of lithium ions. Inspired by ion channels in biology systems, lithium-ion channels are constructed by chemically modifying the nanoporous channels of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with negatively charged sulfonate groups. Analogous to the biological ion channels, such pendant anionic moieties repel free anions while allowing efficient transport of cations through the pore channels. Implementing such MOFs as an electrolyte membrane doubly enhances the lithium-ion transference number, alleviates concentration polarization, and affords striking durability of high-rate LIBs. This work demonstrates an ion-selective material design that effectively tunes the ion-transport behavior and could assist with more efficient operation of LIBs.