Effect of morphology on ion transport in presence of surface conduction pathways, and rheology of model colloidal gels

Electrolytes containing colloidal gels are have been proposed as a possible alternative to liquid electrolytes in batteries due to their thermal stability and mechanical strength. In this work, we specifically considered the rheology and conductivity characteristics of open, equilibrium gels designed from an inverse design strategy on the interaction potentials. Using small amplitude oscillatory shear (SAOS) simulations, rheology of these suspensions is probed from a coarse-grained framework. Ion transport through these gel was studied using kinetic Monte Carlo simulations. We show that for certain parametric conditions, some gel structures exhibit simultaneously optimal ion diffusivity and storage modulus. These results suggest that such open network colloidal gels may provide a means to overcome the the mechanical strength and ionic conductivity trade-off in electrolytes.