A freestanding ion membrane with high ionic conductivity, electrochemical compatibility, satisfactory strength, and safety is a goal pursued for advanced energy storage. Geminal dicationic ionic liquids (GDILs) are expected to be designed and synthesized as a basic building block for the target ionic conductors. Herein, we fabricated a GDIL-based flexible ion conductive material, which appears and behaves as a freestanding film, an ion membrane actually, denoted as iMembrane. The iMembrane presented high thermal stability, broad electrochemical stability, and capable ionic conductivity. Stable lithium-ion intercalation/de-intercalation can be achieved at the iMembrane/graphite interface without co-intercalation of imidazole rings, which is attributed to the specific anion-derived solid electrolyte interphase. Moreover, iMembrane is well compatible with the lithium metal anode and LiFePO4 cathode. The soft-packed batteries assembled with iMembrane were punctured with a nail without any fire or smoke. Hence, as an ionic membrane in nonprotonic, iMembrane is promising to enhance safety and energy density of lithium batteries.
Keywords: anion-derived SEI; energy storage; geminal dicationic ionic liquids; iMembrane; imidazole rings; ionic conductor; ionic liquids; lithium batteries.