A common practice is to utilize a block copolymer which is polymerized in solution with an ionic liquid so that a self-assembled nanostructure is generated where the ions are selectively soluble.
Ion gels can also be made using non-copolymer polymers such as cellulose, oxides such as silicon dioxide or refractory materials such as boron nitride.
Across typical ion gel applications, it is desired that the matrix components be electrically insulating to separate contacts within a device and supply ionic conductivity alone.
[4] Ion gels have been utilized in many electrical device systems such as in capacitors as dielectrics,[5] as insulators for field effect transistors,[6] and as electrolytes for lithium-ion batteries.
[7] Especially for solid state battery applications, the high viscosity of ion gels provides sufficient strength to serve as both an electrolyte and separator between the anode and cathode.
[10] This high temperature stability has been exploited to operate lithium-ion battery cells at lab scale up to 175 °C, which is well beyond the capabilities of current commercial electrolytes.
[7][9] These types of elastomeric materials offer high degree of elastic strain with full recovery, which is desirable in wearable devices that will undergo many stress cycles during their lifetime.
Several lab-scale examples have demonstrated a general trend that smaller matrix particle sizes can result in orders of magnitude increase in storage modulus.