Scaling Rule of Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy for Nanoscale Ion Transport Pathways
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Nanoscale defects within polymer electrolytes disrupt ion transport pathways, resulting in variations in ionic conductivity. Quantifying electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) signal from connected and disconnected ionic pathways remains challenging without knowing information of all nanoscale transport pathways in polymer electrolytes. In this work, devices with precisely patterned nanoscale defects in ion conduction pathways have been fabricated to quantify the impact of pathway connectivity on ion transport. Each device is designed with a distinct ratio of connected to disconnected pathways. For devices composed exclusively of a single type of ion-conduction pathway, a simple equivalent-circuit model is employed to extract the resistance and capacitance associated with the individual connected or disconnected pathways. This framework is then extended to a unified model that incorporates both connected and disconnected circuit elements, enabling prediction of the EIS spectra for devices containing mixed pathways. The established framework has been applied to successfully fit the experimental data for both dry poly(ethylene oxide) doped with lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide for Li + transport and hydrated sulfonated poly(styrene) for H + transport. This study offers a platform that enables researchers to quantify ionic conductivity contributions from nanoscale connected and disconnected pathways and pave the way towards designing polymer electrolytes with efficient ion transport.
Authors: Yu Kambe, Paul F. Nealey, Zhongyang Wang
Language: English
Subfield: Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $1,950
OpenAlex ID: W7164016947