Silica-based thin film solid-state electrolytes for Lithium-ion microbatteries

The emerging market of the Internet of Things, smart objects, wearables and others increases the demand for micro energy sources. Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries are a well-known technology for energy storage. However, safety issues and high production costs constrain progress. Electrolyte solutions based on ionic liquids (ILs) with dissolved lithium salts can be confined into inorganic porous networks forming so-called ionogels, which are investigated as solid electrolytes [1]. Ionogels combine low hazard and good ionic conductivity. However, the growth of lithium dendrites may be observed during cycling, which reduce battery lifetime. In this project, we try to prepare a silica-ionogel to prevent dendritic growth by mechanical hindrance. The ionogel composition was studied to obtain a fast gelation and the correlation between the physical properties of the silica matrix and the electrochemical performances of the ionogel was evaluated.