Researchers from Centro de Química Estrutural, do Instituto Superior Técnico contribute to the discovery and characterisation of a new family of organic materials capable of conducting ions in the solid state with the same efficiency observed in the liquid state. The research, published in Science on 18 December 2025, introduces the concept of state-independent electrolytes (SIEs), which contradicts a principle of electrochemistry.
José Nuno Canongia Lopes, Karina Shimizu and Adilson Freitas were part of the international team responsible for identifying and understanding the ionic transport mechanisms (electric current) of these new materials. In conventional systems, the transition from a liquid to a solid state results in a significant decrease in ionic mobility. In the SIEs now described, this limitation does not occur: conductivity is unchanged across liquid, liquid-crystal, and solid phases.
The materials developed are based on a specific molecular architecture, composed of a “rigid disc-shaped centre and long flexible side chains”, explains José Nuno Lopes. This organisation prevents the formation of strong bonds between positive and negative ions, allowing the anions to move along solid structures organised in columns. The results now published point to future applications in safer solid-state batteries, sensors, electrochromic devices, and flexible electronics, contributing to the development of more efficient and versatile devices.
This work is the result of an international collaboration involving researchers from the Universities of Oxford, York, and Durham (United Kingdom), Instituto Superior Técnico – Universidade de Lisboa (Portugal), the University of Halle-Wittenberg (Germany), and the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague (Czech Republic).
This discovery reinforces Técnico’s research efforts in the field of ionic liquids and functional materials and opens up new opportunities for international collaboration. Cooperation with the University of Oxford remains active, with new work planned. The Técnico team has also been invited to apply for an ERC Synergy grant, in partnership with the University of Oxford and the National Institute of Materials Science in Japan.
More details can be seen here.
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