Ion transport in glassy polymer electrolytes

The existence is reported of a new class of polymer electrolytes, containin g polyether backbones and pendent mesogenic groups. These are amorphous (an d sometimes liquid crystalline) polymeric solids with sub-T-g conductivitie s approaching 10(-5) S cm(-1) at ambient temperatures. The apparent decoupl ing of ion transport from structural relaxations in the host material impli es the existence of a truly "solid" polymer electrolyte, which also implies a link between ion-transport mechanisms in glasses and in polymeric materi als. In future it should be possible to develop materials for a variety of electrochemical applications, based on this new design strategy.