Polystyrene Polymer Containing Heterofunctional Groups, Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Comprising the Same, and Electronic Device

Polystyrene Polymer Electrolyte with Ion Channels Formed via Hydrogen Bonding of Heterofunctional Groups

This technology involves the design of a polystyrene polymer containing two or more adjacent functional groups (e.g., -OH and -SO3H) within the molecule. By utilizing hydrogen bonding between these functional groups, the technology suppresses electrostatic interactions with ionic liquids and effectively forms ion channels.

Conventional polymer electrolytes suffer from a trade-off where strong electrostatic attraction between the ionic liquid and the polymer matrix causes ions to become quenched by the polymer chains, leading to slow ion diffusion and difficulty in simultaneously achieving high mechanical properties and high ionic conductivity.

This technology weakens electrostatic attraction through hydrogen bonding between adjacent functional groups within a single molecule, thereby suppressing ion aggregation. By inducing rod-shaped ion channels between high-strength polymer domains, it decouples polymer chain dynamics from ion conduction. This allows for the simultaneous achievement of excellent ionic conductivity and high mechanical strength, making it a promising solution for secondary battery electrolytes that overcomes the limitations of existing materials.

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Key Features:

• Polystyrene polymer featuring 3-hydroxy-4-sulfonic acid substituents to form hydrogen bonds between adjacent heterofunctional groups
• One or more ionic liquids selected from imidazolium, pyrrolidinium, piperidinium, and alkylmethylimidazolium
• Composition including trifluoroacetate to form an electrolyte with the polystyrene polymer and ionic liquid
• Structure that weakens electrostatic attraction via hydrogen bonding between functional groups to suppress ion aggregation and induce rod-shaped ion channels

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