Solid polymeric electrolytes for lithium batteries

Abstract

Novel conductive polyanionic polymers and methods for their preparation are provided. The polyanionic polymers comprise repeating units of weakly-coordinating anionic groups chemically linked to polymer chains. The polymer chains in turn comprise repeating spacer groups. Spacer groups can be chosen to be of length and structure to impart desired electrochemical and physical properties to the polymers. Preferred embodiments are prepared from precursor polymers comprising the Lewis acid borate tri-coordinated to a selected ligand and repeating spacer groups to form repeating polymer chain units. These precursor polymers are reacted with a chosen Lewis base to form a polyanionic polymer comprising weakly coordinating anionic groups spaced at chosen intervals along the polymer chain. The polyanionic polymers exhibit high conductivity and physical properties which make them suitable as solid polymeric electrolytes in lithium batteries, especially secondary lithium batteries.

1 . A Lewis acid-containing polymer comprising repeat units having the formula:  
         [AL] p    wherein 
 A is a Lewis acid group having the formula  
                     
 wherein X is a Group III element; 
 Y 1  is a ligand bound to X;  
 O is a ligand bound to X and to the polymer chain L;  
 
 L is a polymeric chain chemically linked to a ligand in said Lewis Acid and wherein L comprises a determined number of spacer groups and has the formula:  
   L=(Z) n    wherein 
 Z is a spacer group; and  
 n is the number of each said spacer groups  
   and wherein Z is the same or different in each occurrence; and    
 p is the number of repeat units in the polymer.  
   
     
     
         2 - 78 . (canceled)