Fast Dynamics and its Role in Conductivity of Polymerized Ionic Liquids

Polymerized ionic liquids (PolyILs) are promising candidates for a broad range of technologies. However, the relatively low conductivity of PolyILs at room temperature has strongly limited their application. In this work, we provide new insights into the roles of various microscopic parameters controlling ion transport in these polymers, which are crucial for their rational design and practical applications. By using broadband dielectric spectroscopy and neutron and light scattering techniques, we found a clear connection between the activation energy for conductivity, fast dynamics, and high-frequency shear modulus in PolyILs at their glass-transition temperature (T_g). In this talk we will demonstrate the possible involvement of fast dynamics in lowering the energy barrier for ion conductivity. We also demonstrate that both the activation energy for ion transport and the amplitude of the fast fluctuations depend on the high frequency shear moduli of PolyILs, thus identifying a practically important parameter for tuning conductivity.