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Tuning Ion Mobility and Molecular Confinement in High-Performance Polymer Electrolytes for Energy Storage

This research addresses the critical energy density limitations of aqueous supercapacitors, which are traditionally constrained by the narrow electrochemical stability window (ESW) of water 1.23 V. By employing two distinct molecular engineering strategies, this study developed high-performance elec...

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Main Author: Yousef, Ezzeldien Yousef Muhammed
Format: Thesis
Published: AUC Knowledge Fountain 2026
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access_status_str Open Access
author Yousef, Ezzeldien Yousef Muhammed
author_browse Yousef, Ezzeldien Yousef Muhammed
author_facet Yousef, Ezzeldien Yousef Muhammed
author_sort Yousef, Ezzeldien Yousef Muhammed
collection Thesis
description This research addresses the critical energy density limitations of aqueous supercapacitors, which are traditionally constrained by the narrow electrochemical stability window (ESW) of water 1.23 V. By employing two distinct molecular engineering strategies, this study developed high-performance electrolyte systems that significantly extend voltage stability and thermal resilience. The first system, CsBr@PAM/HA, utilizes a polyacrylamide and hyaluronic acid hydrogel matrix. This system exploits the chaotropic nature of Cs+ ions to disrupt the aqueous hydrogen-bonding network, enhancing ionic conductivity to 104 mS cm-1. Through systematic salt screening, CsBr was identified as the optimal electrolyte, enabling a stable 2.0 V operating window with a specific capacitance of 100 F g-1 and exceptional cycling stability over 10,000 cycles. The second system, LiBr@PQ-7, introduces a quasi-solid-state paradigm using a cationic polymer (Polyquaternium-7). The permanent quaternary ammonium groups in the matrix immobilize Br─ anions, suppressing parasitic oxidation and extending the ESW to 2.2 V. This device achieved an energy density of 61.74 Wh kg-1 and demonstrated remarkable climate resilience. Due to a high concentration of non-freezable bound water (73.7%), the electrolyte maintained performance at −15 °C and showed enhanced capacitance at temperatures up to 80 °C without polymer degradation. Together, these systems establish complementary design paradigms, cation mobility enhancement and anion immobilization, providing a comprehensive framework for engineering next-generation, high-voltage, and thermally robust supercapacitors for sustainable energy storage.
format Thesis
id oai:fount.aucegypt.edu:etds-3827
institution American University in Cairo (Egypt)
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:36:04.810Z
license_str Not specified — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from AUC Knowledge Fountain — bepress
publishDate 2026
publishDateRange 2026
publishDateSort 2026
publisher AUC Knowledge Fountain
publisherStr AUC Knowledge Fountain
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source_str AUC Knowledge Fountain — bepress
spelling oai:fount.aucegypt.edu:etds-3827 Tuning Ion Mobility and Molecular Confinement in High-Performance Polymer Electrolytes for Energy Storage Yousef, Ezzeldien Yousef Muhammed This research addresses the critical energy density limitations of aqueous supercapacitors, which are traditionally constrained by the narrow electrochemical stability window (ESW) of water 1.23 V. By employing two distinct molecular engineering strategies, this study developed high-performance electrolyte systems that significantly extend voltage stability and thermal resilience. The first system, CsBr@PAM/HA, utilizes a polyacrylamide and hyaluronic acid hydrogel matrix. This system exploits the chaotropic nature of Cs+ ions to disrupt the aqueous hydrogen-bonding network, enhancing ionic conductivity to 104 mS cm-1. Through systematic salt screening, CsBr was identified as the optimal electrolyte, enabling a stable 2.0 V operating window with a specific capacitance of 100 F g-1 and exceptional cycling stability over 10,000 cycles. The second system, LiBr@PQ-7, introduces a quasi-solid-state paradigm using a cationic polymer (Polyquaternium-7). The permanent quaternary ammonium groups in the matrix immobilize Br─ anions, suppressing parasitic oxidation and extending the ESW to 2.2 V. This device achieved an energy density of 61.74 Wh kg-1 and demonstrated remarkable climate resilience. Due to a high concentration of non-freezable bound water (73.7%), the electrolyte maintained performance at −15 °C and showed enhanced capacitance at temperatures up to 80 °C without polymer degradation. Together, these systems establish complementary design paradigms, cation mobility enhancement and anion immobilization, providing a comprehensive framework for engineering next-generation, high-voltage, and thermally robust supercapacitors for sustainable energy storage. 2026-06-15T07:00:00Z thesis application/pdf https://fount.aucegypt.edu/etds/2767 https://fount.aucegypt.edu/context/etds/article/3827/viewcontent/Ezzeldie_Yousef_Muhammed_Yousef_thesis.pdf Theses and Dissertations AUC Knowledge Fountain Supercapacitors Energy Storage Hydrogel Electrolytes Electrochemical Stability Window Molecular Engineering Chaotropic Cations Anion Immobilization Polyquaternium-7 Thermal Resilience Quasi-Solid-State Computational Chemistry Inorganic Chemistry Materials Chemistry Physical Chemistry Polymer and Organic Materials Polymer Chemistry
spellingShingle Supercapacitors
Energy Storage
Hydrogel Electrolytes
Electrochemical Stability Window
Molecular Engineering
Chaotropic Cations
Anion Immobilization
Polyquaternium-7
Thermal Resilience
Quasi-Solid-State
Computational Chemistry
Inorganic Chemistry
Materials Chemistry
Physical Chemistry
Polymer and Organic Materials
Polymer Chemistry
Yousef, Ezzeldien Yousef Muhammed
Tuning Ion Mobility and Molecular Confinement in High-Performance Polymer Electrolytes for Energy Storage
title Tuning Ion Mobility and Molecular Confinement in High-Performance Polymer Electrolytes for Energy Storage
title_full Tuning Ion Mobility and Molecular Confinement in High-Performance Polymer Electrolytes for Energy Storage
title_fullStr Tuning Ion Mobility and Molecular Confinement in High-Performance Polymer Electrolytes for Energy Storage
title_full_unstemmed Tuning Ion Mobility and Molecular Confinement in High-Performance Polymer Electrolytes for Energy Storage
title_short Tuning Ion Mobility and Molecular Confinement in High-Performance Polymer Electrolytes for Energy Storage
title_sort tuning ion mobility and molecular confinement in high performance polymer electrolytes for energy storage
topic Supercapacitors
Energy Storage
Hydrogel Electrolytes
Electrochemical Stability Window
Molecular Engineering
Chaotropic Cations
Anion Immobilization
Polyquaternium-7
Thermal Resilience
Quasi-Solid-State
Computational Chemistry
Inorganic Chemistry
Materials Chemistry
Physical Chemistry
Polymer and Organic Materials
Polymer Chemistry
url https://fount.aucegypt.edu/etds/2767
https://fount.aucegypt.edu/context/etds/article/3827/viewcontent/Ezzeldie_Yousef_Muhammed_Yousef_thesis.pdf
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