Transferring Lithium Ions in Nanochannels: A PEO/Li+ Solid Polymer Electrolyte Design

Abstract A new category of crystalline polymer electrolyte prepared by the supramolecular self‐assembly of polyethylene oxide (PEO), α‐cyclodextrin (α‐CD), and LiAsF 6 is reported. The polymer electrolyte consists of the nanochannels formed by α‐CDs in which the PEO/Li + complexes are confined. The nanochannels formed by α‐CD provide the pathway for the directional motion of Li + ions and at the same time prevent the access of the anions by size exclusion, resulting in good separation of the Li + ions and the anions. The conductivity of the reported material is 30 times higher than that of the comparable PEO/Li + complex crystal at room temperature. By using state‐of‐art solid‐state NMR spectroscopy, the structure and dynamics of the material were investigated in detail. The dynamics of the Li + ions was studied and correlated to the ionic conductivity of the material.