The next generation of batteries and energy generation devices require both precise, size-controlled engineering and renewable materials sources. My good colleague Dr. Ruiqi Dong and I aimed to accomplish both of these goals in a study published in ACS Materials Letters. The article, linked here, showed that we can rapidly conduct potassium through a polymer electrolyte, when taking advantage of the solvent imbibed within the self-assembled nanopores.
This work shows that lyotropic liquid crystals have a lot of promise for energy storage and generation technologies. We get to take advantage of the higher internal surface areas and favorable solvents to rapidly move species of interest. I hope that this avenue is explored in the future – I am to do so in collaboration with the Osuji group and within my own time.
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