Structure and Dynamics in Solid Electrolyte Composites of the Organic Ionic Plastic Crystal HMGFSI and Lithium Sulphonamide Functional Acrylate Polymer Nanoparticles

Solid electrolyte composites between organic ionic plastic crystals (OIPCs) and polymers can potentially show enhanced mechanical properties and ion conduction. These properties can be determined by the formation of interfacial regions which affect the structure, thermal properties, and ion transport of the composite material. Here we studied the properties of composites between the OIPC hexamethylguanidinium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (HMGFSI) and acrylate polymer nanoparticles functionalised with lithium, using various techniques including solid-state NMR spectroscopy. An enhancement in ionic conductivity of three orders of magnitude as well as increased lithium and OIPC cation and anion dynamics were observed in the composite as prepared with 40 v% of polymer nanoparticles with respect to the pure OIPC at 50 °C. This was attributed to the increased overall structural disorder as a result of the formation of disordered interfacial regions, which were evidenced by solid-state NMR spectroscopy. In addition, the importance of the thermal history of these composites is highlighted, with differences in the conductivity and ion dynamics observed after melting and recrystallizing the OIPC component, leading to less disordered interfacial regions. This study enriches our fundamental understanding of the formation of interfacial regions in OIPC composites and their effect on the bulk properties of the electrolyte.