TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - CHEMICAL ENGINEERING - Preferred Method: In preparing the material composition, the set of metal oxide nanoparticles comprises a metal oxide selected from silica, alumina, ceria, titania, vanadia and zirconia metal oxides. The ionic liquid functionalized coupling agent material comprises an ionic liquid functionalized alkoxysilane. The preparing uses an alkoxide condensation reaction. The preparing uses a metal halide hydrolysis reaction. Preferred Composition: The material composition further comprises a host material that is not tethered to any of the set of nanoparticles, where the host material comprises a set of additional ionic liquid molecules. The host material comprises at least one material selected from: solvents selected from carbonates, ethers, acetamides, acetontrile, symmetric sulfones, 1,3-dioxolanes, glymes, siloxanes and blends of the foregoing solvents; and polymers selected from polyethylene oxides, polypropylene oxides, polyacrylonitriles, polysiloxanes, polyimides, polyethers, sulfonated polyimides, perfluorinated polymers and blends of the foregoing polymers. Each of the set of nanoparticles has a diameter of 2-1000 nanometers. The set of nanoparticles comprises a metal oxide material selected from silica, alumina, ceria, titania, vanadia and zirconia metal oxide materials. The nitrogen cation moiety is selected from imidazolium, ammonium, pyridinium, piperdinium, and pyrrolidinium nitrogen cation moieties. The counter anion is selected from tetrafluoroborate, hexafluorophosphate, bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide, trifluoromethane sulfonate, trifluoroacetate, acetate, nitrate, chloride, bromide, iodide, bis(pentafluoroethylsulfonyl) imide, dicyanamide, hexafluoroantimonate, hexafluoroarsenate and tetrachloroaluminate counter anions. Moreover, at least one of the nitrogen cation moiety, the phosphorus cation moiety and the sulfur cation moiety is covalently tethered to the single nanoparticle. Alternatively, the material composition comprises: a set of nanoparticles; a set of ionic liquid molecules each comprising: at least one of a nitrogen cation moiety, a phosphorus cation moiety and a sulfur cation moiety; and a counter anion; and a lithium salt, where each nitrogen cation moiety, phosphorus cation moiety or sulfur cation moiety is tethered to at least one nanoparticle. The lithium salt includes at least one of lithium tetrafluoroborate, lithium hexafluorophosphate, lithium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide, lithium trifluoromethane sulfonate, lithium trifluoroacetate, lithium acetate, lithium nitrate, lithium perchlorate, lithium hexafluoroarsinate, lithium bis(pentafluoroethylsulfonyl)imide, lithium dicynamide, lithium tetrachloroaluminate and lithium hexafluoroantimonate lithium salts.Preferred Battery: The battery further comprises a host material that is not tethered to any of the set of nanoparticles, where the host material comprises a set of additional ionic liquid molecules. The host material comprises at least one material selected from: solvents selected from carbonates, ethers, acetamides, acetontrile, symmetric sulfones, 1,3-dioxolanes, glymes, siloxanes and blends of the foregoing solvents; and polymers selected from polyethylene oxides, polypropylene oxides, polyacrylonitriles, polysiloxanes, polyimides, polyethers, sulfonated polyimides, perfluorinated polymers and blends of the foregoing polymers.