Fabrication of films and coatings used to activate shear thickening, impact resistant electrolytes

A method of making a passively impact resistant battery comprising the steps of:

• providing a porous separator material having pores and a surface;
• providing a suspension composition comprising shear thickening enabling particles, the shear thickening particles having a polydispersity index of no greater than 0.1, an average particle size of in a range of 50 nm to 1 um, and an absolute zeta potential of greater than ±40 mV, and a particle suspension solvent for suspending the shear thickening enabling particles;
• applying the suspension composition to the separator material,
• wherein a portion of the shear thickening enabling particles and suspension solvent penetrate the pores and the remainder of the suspension composition is distributed across the surface of the separator material;
• and
• evaporating the suspension solvent from the separator material;
• applying an anode layer;
• applying a cathode layer;
• applying an electrolyte composition between the anode layer and the cathode layer, the electrolyte composition comprising an electrolyte solvent, and up to 6M of an electrolyte salt, wherein the electrolyte, the electrolyte salt, and the shear thickening enabling particles will form a passively impact resistant composite electrolyte disposed between the anode and the cathode.