Self-Assembling Electrolytes in Science

We have published a paper in Science describing new organic electrolytes that retain their ionic conductivity across phase transitions from the liquid to the solid state. Watch the video below for an animated summary.

We showed that the self-assembly of disc-like triaryl cyclopropeniums creates columns that exclude their halide counterions. Flexible alkyl chains around the periphery of the disc preserve flexibility in the solid state. Together, these characteristics allow the halides to hop around in the solid state just as easily as they do in the fluid state, avoiding the large drop in ionic conductivity that usually occurs during phase transition to a more ordered state of matter.

The research was led by PhD students Juliet Barclay and Jack Williamson. We worked collaboratively with researchers in York, Durham, Leeds, Lisbon, Prague, and Halle. Congratulations to all the team!

Learn more about the research and the team at the University of Oxford by watching this short video below.