	US 11,901,505 B2
	Ion-conducting structures, devices including ion-conducting structures, and methods for use and fabrication thereof
Liangbing Hu, Rockville, MD (US); Tian Li, West Lafayette, IN (US); Chunpeng Yang, Adelphi, MD (US); Xin Zhang, Greenbelt, MD (US); Robert M. Briber, Bethesda, MD (US); and Meiling Wu, Adelphi, MD (US)
Assigned to UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK, College Park, MD (US)
Filed by UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK, College Park, MD (US)
Filed on May 20, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/750,062.
Application 17/750,062 is a continuation of application No. 17/271,859, granted, now 11,374,255, previously published as PCT/US2020/047460, filed on Aug. 21, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/890,404, filed on Aug. 22, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0359903 A1, Nov. 10, 2022
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. H01M 10/056 (2010.01); H01M 8/1072 (2016.01); H01M 10/0525 (2010.01); C08J 5/22 (2006.01); H01M 8/10 (2016.01)

CPC H01M 10/056 (2013.01) [C08J 5/2256 (2013.01); H01M 8/1072 (2013.01); H01M 10/0525 (2013.01); H01M 2008/1095 (2013.01); H01M 2300/0082 (2013.01)]

20 Claims

1. An ion-conducting structure, comprising:

a metal-fibril complex formed by one or more elementary nanofibrils, each elementary nanofibril being composed of a plurality of cellulose molecular chains with functional groups, each elementary nanofibril having a plurality of metal ions, each metal ion acting as a coordination center between the functional groups of adjacent cellulose molecular chains so as to form a respective ion transport channel between the cellulose molecular chains,

wherein the metal-fibril complex comprises a plurality of second ions, each second ion being disposed within one of the ion transport channels so as to be intercalated between the corresponding cellulose molecular chains, and

wherein the metal-fibril complex is a solid-state structure having a conductivity of at least 10⁴S/cm.