Versatile heat resistant solid electrolytes with performances of liquid electrolytes

The confinement of ionic liquids (room temperature molten salts) within a porous silica matrix was performed by a one-step non-hydrolytic sol-gel route, leading to hybrid materials featuring both the mechanic and transparency properties of silica gels and the high ionic conductivity of ionic liquids, as well as a thermal stability up to around 550 K. Butylmethylimidazolium [BMI] or butylpyridinium [BPy] as cations with bis(trifluorosulfonyl)imide [TFSI] or tetrafluoroborate [BF4] as anions along with a silica matrix showed similar properties. (C) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.