Lyotropic Liquid Crystals Inducing Liquid–Fluid Lamellar Conducting Highways as Superior Electrolytes toward Electrochemical Energy Devices

Fast charge transport and high stability are desirable for high-performance electrolytes. However, the two characters typically conflict with each other in conventional electrolytes. Herein, lyotropic liquid crystals (LLCs) were demonstrated for the first time as potential ideal ion conductors to supersede traditional liquid electrolytes toward energy devices. LLC electrolytes consisting of an alkylimidazolium compound and proper amount of organic liquid electrolytes were designed and applied in dye-sensitized solar cells. Nano-segregation in LLC electrolytes induced nanoscale lamellar liquid regions as conducting highways. The layered regulation of liquids highly accelerated ion conduction and improved stability. The lamellar nanostructured LLC electrolyte consuming only 40% liquid electrolytes showed superior ion conduction and device efficiency even at ambient temperatures, which overwhelmed to the pure liquid electrolytes. Also, the LLC electrolytes showed robust stability in energy devices. The present work sheds new light on developing next-generation electrolytes for various efficient and sustainable energy devices.