Multivalent cation conduction in dual cation-exchanged polyanions

Batteries based on active multivalent metal cations are the topic of research worldwide due to the high abundance of these metals. Unfortunately, transport of hard multivalent cations such as Mg²⁺ and Al³⁺ in polymers is known to be very slow, due to the strong interactions of these ions with the polar constituents on solvating polymers resulting in chain crosslinking and sluggish coordination site exchange rates. Here we report on the transport of multivalent cations in certain poly(ionic liquids). The inclusion of bulky organic cations is found to reduce the glass transition temperature of the matrix and screen metal multivalent cation interactions, resulting in enhanced ion transport. Characterization of the structure and dynamics of a family of materials incorporating varying organic cation types will be discussed.