Ionic liquid-nanoparticle hybrid electrolytes and their application in secondary lithium-metal batteries.

Ionic liquid-tethered nanoparticle hybrid electrolytes comprised of silica nanoparticles densely grafted with imidazolium-based ionic liquid chains are shown to retard lithium dendrite growth in rechargeable batteries with metallic lithium anodes. The electrolytes are demonstrated in full cell studies using both high-energy Li/MoS(2) and high-power Li/TiO(2) secondary batteries.