Design of Zwitterionic Scaffolds for Ionogel Electrolytes

ABSTRACT

Ionogel electrolytes are a fascinating class of nonvolatile and nonflammable ion conductors featuring room-temperature ionic liquids/molten salts that can enable safer electrochemical energy storage devices, wearable sensors, and many other applications. This presentation will describe the synthesis and characterization of a variety of novel (co)polymer- and/or oxide-supported ionogels that can be readily formed, for example, via in situ photopolymerization or sol-gel synthesis directly within ionic liquid-based electrolytes, some of which are also facile lithium or sodium ion conductors. Possessing extremely large permanent dipole moments, zwitterionic functional groups endow polyzwitterion scaffolds with an ability to exert significant Coulombic interactions upon the various ionic species present within an ionic liquid-based electrolyte, as well as one another. Experimental evidence of increased ion cluster dissociation, as well as the formation of robust, noncovalent cross-links that enhance gel stiffness due to the presence of zwitterionic groups, has been obtained. In some cases, gel self-healing behavior can also be observed. Specific zwitterion chemistry dictates the behavior of these fascinating charged moieties within such extremely ion-dense environments. With extremely high thermal stability and an essentially nonvolatile nature, ionogels may hold significant promise for realizing future energy storage devices such as lithium- or sodium-based batteries that operate under extreme environmental conditions.

BIOGRAPHY

Matthew Panzer is a Professor in the Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering. He is the Dean of Research for the School of Engineering at Tufts University in Medford, MA. He obtained an Honors Bachelor of Chemical Engineering with Distinction degree from the University of Delaware. He earned his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering at the University of Minnesota under the direction of Prof. C. Daniel Frisbie with a thesis entitled “Polymer Electrolyte-Gated Organic Field-Effect Transistors.” Before joining the faculty at Tufts, Dr. Panzer spent two years in the Research Laboratory of Electronics at MIT as a Postdoctoral Associate in the laboratory of Prof. Vladimir Bulović. He has been the recipient of the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center Catalyst Program Award (2017 & 2012), the Recognition of Undergraduate Teaching Excellence (ROUTE) Award from Tufts University (2014), the Lillian and Joseph Leibner Award for Distinguished Teaching and Advising (2016), and the Chemistry of Materials Lectureship and Best Paper Award (2020).