The study of Novel nanocomposite plastic crystals as solid-state electrolyte materials

Whilst theories of defect assisted ionic conductivity have been developed for crystalline inorganic materials, organic ionic plastic crystals (OIPCs) offer a unique opportunity to test these theories in soft materials. Nanoparticles have been shown to alter local matrix mobility dependent on the wetting of the particles by the matrix to increase conductivity in polymeric materials [Weston]; however, the mechanism of this enhancement is the subject of debate. The combination of inert nanosized particles in crystalline inorganic conductors has also been shown to significantly enhance ionic conductivity and have been often linked to a space charge mechanism'. In this thesis, the effect of ceramic nanoparticles such as Ti02, Ali03 and Si02 on the conductivity and structure of pure OIPCs, lithium doped OIPCs and rotator phase material have been investigated over a wide temperature range. The work also included the assessment of the effect of Si02 nanoparticles of varying surface area and determining the effect of surface-functionalised nanoparticles […]