Figure 2.
A structural analysis of the PZIL indicates the presence of two phases, one containing an ordered structure very similar to the small molecule on which the PZIL was based and another amorphous phase. (A) WAXS curves demonstrate the presence of amorphous and ordered structures within the PZIL sample. The crystalline peaks of a small-molecule analogue for this material appear to match well with the Bragg peaks of the PZIL, suggesting a structural similarity between the structure of the small-molecule crystal and the polymer. The small-molecule scattering conforms to the space group Pna21, as detailed in Section 4 in the Supporting Information. (B) Schematic representation of the conduction mechanism in the polymer suggested by NMR diffusometry. The amorphous domains are proposed to promote the motion of lithium and its counterion through vehicular motion; the ordered domains are suggested to have high selectivity for lithium, transported via a superionic conduction mechanism.