University of California

Sepion Technologies, Inc.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

University of Illinois

University of Massachusetts

Heliotrope Technologies, Inc.

Brett Anthony Helms

Peter David Frischmann

Sean Emerson Doris

Ashleigh L Ward

Guillermo Garcia

Delia J Milliron

Raffaella Buonsanti

Anna Llordes

Evelyn Rosen

Changyi Li

Jon-Michael Alessandro

Yet-Ming Chiang

Jeffrey S Moore

Ronald N Zuckermann

Thomas P Russell

Jason K Holt

Elton J Cairns

Joseph L DeRisi

Nagarjuna Gavvalapalli

Frank Yongzhen Fan

Kurt S Thorn

Rafael Gòmez-Sjöberg

Rachel Ellen Gerver

Polly M Fordyce

Swagat Sahu

Peter R Christensen

Stephen M Meckler

Mark E Carrington

Miles N Braten

Miranda J Baran

Caili Huang

Joseph William Forth

Evan Runnerstrom

Andrea R Bayles

Laura C H Gerber

Yoon Hwa

Brian Cullen Baxter

Rachel E Gerver

Rafael GÓMEZ-SJÖBERG

Provided are electrochemical cells including separators permeable to some materials and impermeable to other materials in electrolytes. Also provide are methods of forming such separators. The selective permeability of a separator is achieved by its specific pore diameter and a narrow distribution of this diameter. Specifically, a species responsible for ion transport in an electrochemical cell are allowed to pass through the separator, while another species is blocked thereby preventing degradation of the cell. For example, a species containing lithium ions is allowed to pass in rechargeable cells, while one or more species containing transition metals are blocked. In some embodiments, a separator may include a membrane layer with at least 90% of pores of this having a diameter of between about 0.1 nanometers and 1.0 nanometer. The membrane layer may be a standalone layer or supported by a membrane support.

Electrochemical cells with ionic sequestration provided by porous separators

The present invention relates to a composition of polymers comprising dynamic covalent diketoenamine bonds. This composition allows the formulation of polymeric materials with a wide range of architectures and properties, and further allows these materials to be recycled using thermal, chemical, or mechanical processes.

Recyclable and reconfigurable high-performance polymer networks and uses thereof

The present disclosure is directed to microporous ladder polymers containing amine-functionalized monomer segments, amidoxime-functionalized monomer segments, or a combination thereof. Monomer compounds for preparation of the polymers are also described, as well as membranes and electrochemical cells containing the polymers.

Diversity-oriented polymers of intrinsic microporosity and uses thereof

A composite membrane with nanostructured inorganic and organic phases is applied as an ion-selective layer to prove processability, prevent dendrite shorting, and increase power output of lithium-metal anodes through better Li-ion conductivity. Nanoconfinement, as opposed to macroscale confinement, is known to dramatically alter the properties of bulk materials. Control over a ceramic's size, shape, and properties is achieved with polymer templates. This is a new composition of matter and unique approach to composite membrane design.

Microstructured ion-conducting composites and uses thereof

A method for preparing a stabilized assembly includes combining a first liquid phase including nanoparticles and a second, immiscible liquid phase, dissolving in the second phase a first end-functionalized polymer having a first molecular weight, and a second end-functionalized polymer having a second molecular weight, wherein the second molecular weight is greater than the first molecular weight, applying a shearing external deformation field to increase the surface area of the first phase to create a new interface, wherein the nanoparticle surfactants form a disordered, jammed assembly at the new interface, and releasing the shearing external deformation field. The polymer and the nanoparticles can interact at an interface through ligand interactions to form nanoparticle surfactants and upon releasing the external deformation field the jammed assembly at the new interface traps the first phase in a deformed state having the first liquid phase and the second liquid phase as interpenetrating domains.

Liquid bicontinuous stabilized assemblies by interfacial jamming of nanoparticles

Intermittent energy sources, including solar and wind, require scalable, low-cost, multi-hour energy storage solutions to be effectively incorporated into the grid. Redox-flow batteries offer a solution, but suffer from rapid capacity fade and low Coulombic efficiency due to the high permeability of redox-active species across the battery's membrane. Here we show that active-species crossover can be arrested by scaling the membrane's pore size to molecular dimensions and in turn increasing the size of the active material to be above the membrane's pore-size exclusion limit. When oligomeric redox-active organic molecules were paired with microporous polymer membranes, the rate of active-material crossover was either completely blocked or slowed more than 9,000-fold compared to traditional separators at minimal cost to ionic conductivity. In the case of the latter, this corresponds to an absolute rate of ROM crossover of less than 3 &#x3bc;mol cmday(for a 1.0 M concentration gradient), which exceeds performance targets recently set forth by the battery industry. This strategy was generalizable to both high and low-potential ROMs in a variety of electrolytes, highlighting the importance of macromolecular design in implementing next-generation redox-flow batteries.

Redox-flow batteries employing oligomeric organic active materials and size-selective microporous polymer membranes

Polymers of intrinsic microporosity are provided herein. Disclosed polymers of intrinsic microporosity include modified polymers of intrinsic microporosity that include negatively charged sites or crosslinking between monomer units. Systems making use of polymers of intrinsic microporosity and modified polymers of intrinsic microporosity are also described, such as electrochemical cells and ion separation systems. Methods for making and using polymers of intrinsic microporosity and modified polymers of intrinsic microporosity are also disclosed.

Polymeric materials for electrochemical cells and ion separation processes

Metal-sulfur energy storage devices also comprising new redox mediator compounds are described.

Redox mediators for metal-sulfur batteries

To address the need for multi-functional binders specifically tailored for sulfur cathodes &#x3c0;-stacked perylene bisimide (PBI) molecules are repurposed as redox-active supramolecular binders in sulfur cathodes for Li&#x2014;S cells. In operando lithiation of PBI binders permanently reduces Li&#x2014;S cell impedance enabling high-rate cycling, a critical step toward unlocking the full potential of Li&#x2014;S batteries.

Redox-active supramolecular polymer binders derived from perylene bisimide nanowires enable high-rate lithium-sulfur batteries

Spectrally encoded microbeads and methods and devices for making and using spectrally encoded microbeads are provided. The disclosed methods and devices facilitate the preparation and use of microbeads containing multiple lanthanide nanoparticles, which microbeads have uniquely identifiable spectral codes. The disclosed microbeads, and the methods and devices for making and using same, find use in multiplexing and high-throughput biomarker analysis.

Spectrally encoded microbeads and methods and devices for making and using same

Methods of charging an electrochromic device includes post assembly charging using a sacrificial redox agent, lithium diffusion into an electrode from a lithium layer or salt bridge charging, or pre assembly charging using proton photoinjection into an electrode.

Methods of charging solid state plasmonic electrochromic smart window devices

Nanocrystals comprising organic ligands at surfaces of the plurality of nanocrystals are provided. The organic ligands are removed from the surfaces of the nanocrystals using a solution comprising a trialkyloxonium salt in a polar aprotic solvent. The removal of the organic ligands causes the nanocrystals to become naked nanocrystals with cationic surfaces.

Surface chemical modification of nanocrystals

A facile procedure to deliver nanocrystals to the cytosol of live cells that is both rapid and general. The technique employs a unique cationic core-shell polymer colloid that directs nanocrystals to the cytosol of living cells within a few hours of incubation. The present methods and compositions enable a host of advanced applications arising from efficient cytosolic delivery of nanocrystal imaging probes: from single particle tracking experiments to monitoring protein-protein interactions in live cells for extended periods.

Cytosolic delivery of materials with endosome-disrupting colloids

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San Francisco, CA, United States of America

Brett Anthony Helms