Solid, lithium-salt-doped, thermoset polyimide polymer electrolyte and electrochemical cell employing same

A process for forming an electrolyte medium comprising:

• providing a thermoset polyimide polymer pre-dissolved in N-methyl-2-pyrollidinone (NMP) to form a polyimide solution;
• providing a lithium salt pre-dissolved in N-methyl-2-pyrollidinone (NMP) to form a lithium-salt solution;
• mixing said polyimide solution and said lithium-salt solution in a ratio of about 2 parts polyimide solution to about 1 part lithium-salt solution to form a substantially homogeneous lithium-salt-doped polyimide solution;
• casting said lithium-salt-doped polyimide solution;
• and
• drying and curing said cast lithium-salt-doped polyimide solution to form a substantially solid, lithium-salt-doped polyimide polymer structure.

An electrochemical cell comprising:

• an anode comprising one of a lithium metal material and a lithium-ion receptive active material;
• a cathode;
• and
• a substantially solid, thermoset polyimide polymer matrix doped with a lithium salt interposed between said anode and said cathode.