Direct correlation of single particle motion to amorphous microstructural components of semicrystalline poly(ethylene oxide) electrolytic films

Semicrystalline polymers are an ubiquitous class of materials incorporated into everyday life, and their functional properties are contingent on their structure over a hierarchical range of length scales. By correlating micro- and nano- structural crystalline and amorphous components of lithium triflate doped PEO thin films with fluorescent single particle trajectories, we find that crystalline fibers anisotropically constrain probe transport without altering the intrinsic diffusivity of probes. Our findings suggest controlled and periodic arrangement of crystalline fibers is a promising design principle for mass transport in semicrystalline polymers that enables the requisite mechanical stability for device applications.