Adv. Mater.. 2006, 18, 1750-1753

Photonic Crystal Structures as a Basis for an Interpenetrating Electrochemical Cell System

Nicholas S. Ergang¹, Justin C. Lytle¹, Kyu T. Lee², Seung M. Oh², William H. Smyrl³, and Andreas Stein¹*

¹Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA

²Research Center for Energy Conversion and Storage and, School of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-744, South Korea

³Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA

Abstract

A novel interpenetrating electrode structure is synthesized by sequential assembly of nanostructured components throughout the interconnected macropores of an inverse opal carbon monolith. Separation of electrodes by a thin polymer electrolyte film prevents hard shorts and permits intercalation and shuttling of Li ions between electrodes.