Covalent silica-PEO-LiTFSI hybrid solid electrolytes via sol-gel for Li-ion battery applications

Novel PEG6000-Silica-MWCNTs Shape-Stabilized Composite Phase-Change Materials (ssCPCMs) for Thermal-Energy Storage

This paper describes the preparation of new PEG₆₀₀₀-silica-MWCNTs composites as shape-stabilized phase change materials (ssPCMs) for application in latent heat storage. An innovative method was employed to obtain the new organic-inorganic hybrid materials, in which both a part of the PEG chains, used as the phase change material, and a part of the hydroxyl functionalized multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs-OH), used as thermo-conductive fillers, were covalently connected by newly formed urethane bonds to the in-situ-generated silica matrix. The study's main aim was to investigate the optimal amount of PEG₆₀₀₀ that can be added to the fixed sol-gel reaction mixture so that no leakage of PEG occurs after repeated heating-cooling cycles. The findings show that the optimum PEG₆₀₀₀/NCOTEOS molar ratio was 2/1 (~91.5% PEG₆₀₀₀), because both the connected and free PEG chains interacted strongly with the in-situ-generated silica matrix to form a shape-stabilized material while preserving high phase-transition enthalpies (~153 J/G). Morphological and structural findings obtained by SEM, X-ray and Raman techniques indicated a distribution of the silica component in the amorphous phase (~27% for the optimum composition) located among the crystalline lamellae built by the folded chains of the PEG component. This composite maintained good chemical stability after a 450-cycle thermal test and had a good storage efficiency (~84%).

New Crosslinked Single-Ion Silica-PEO Hybrid Electrolytes

New single-ion hybrid electrolytes have been synthetized via an original and simple synthetic approach combining Michael addition, epoxidation, and sol-gel polycondensation. We designed an organic PEO network as a matrix for the lithium transport, mechanically reinforced thanks to crosslinking inorganic (SiO_1.5) sites, while highly delocalized anions based on lithium vinyl sulfonyl(trifluoromethane sulfonyl)imide (VSTFSILi) were grafted onto the inorganic sites to produce single-ion hybrid electrolytes (HySI). The influence of the electrolyte composition in terms of the inorganic/organic ratio and the grafted VSTFSILi content on the local structural organization, the thermal, mechanical, and ionic transport properties (ionic conductivity, transference number) are studied by a variety of techniques including SAXS, DSC, rheometry, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. SAXS measurements at 25 °C and 60 °C reveal that HySI electrolyte films display locally a spatial phase separation with domains composed of PEO rich phase and silica/VSTFSILi clusters. The size of these clusters increases with the silica and VSTFSILi content. A maximum ionic conductivity of 2.1 × 10^-5 S·cm^-1 at 80 °C has been obtained with HySI having an EO/Li ratio of 20. The Li⁺ ion transfer number of HySI electrolytes is high, as expected for a single-ion electrolyte, and comprises between 0.80 and 0.92.

Ionic Liquid-Softened Polymer Electrolyte for Anti-Drying Flexible Zinc Ion Batteries

Using solid polymer electrolytes has been proven to be an efficient strategy to address the metal dendrites and pursuing high-voltage performance. Polyethylene oxide (PEO), as a popular polymer matrix, hardly works for zinc ion batteries due to its poor zinc ionic conductivity and the poor interfacial adhesion. Here, an ionic liquid, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium trifluoromethanesulfonate ([Emim]OTF), was applied as a plasticizer to tune the room-temperature ionic conductivity and mechanical properties of PEO membrane electrolyte. Additional nanofillers ZnO were utilized to enhance the plasticity and modulus. With an optimized composition, the membrane exhibits a high modulus and soft mechanics, which can facilitate the reversible stripping/plating of Zn without formation of Zn dendrites. The optimized polymer electrolyte achieved an ionic conductivity of 2.3 × 10-3 S cm-1 at room temperature with a softness of 5.1 mm. By applying the resulted soft membrane electrolyte for a Zn-MnO2 battery, a capacity of 137 mAh g-1 is achieved at 30 mA g-1 even without the contribution from H+. Such an electrolyte also works for Prussian blue analogue cathodes. Importantly, the addition of [Emim]OTF can enhance the soft contact with the electrodes, and a stable output is delivered under severe deformations for the assembled flexible devices.

Synthesis and Characterization of Gel Polymer Electrolyte Based on Epoxy Group via Cationic Ring-Open Polymerization for Lithium-Ion Battery

The polymer electrolytes are considered to be an alternative to liquid electrolytes for lithium-ion batteries because of their high thermal stability, flexibility, and wide applications. However, the polymer electrolytes have low ionic conductivity at room temperature due to the interfacial contact issue and the growing of lithium dendrites between the electrolytes/electrodes. In this study, we prepared gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs) through an in situ thermal-induced cationic ring-opening strategy, using LiFSI as an initiator. As-synthesized GPEs were characterized with a series of technologies. The as-synthesized PNDGE 1.5 presented good thermal stability (up to 150 °C), low glass transition temperature (Tg < −40 °C), high ionic conductivity (>10−4 S/cm), and good interfacial contact with the cell components and comparable anodic oxidation voltage (4.0 V). In addition, PNGDE 1.5 exhibited a discharge capacity of 131 mAh/g after 50 cycles at 0.2 C and had a 92% level of coulombic efficiency. Herein, these results can contribute to developing of new polymer electrolytes and offer the possibility of good compatibility through the in situ technique for Li-ion batteries.

Lithium Salt Catalyzed Ring-Opening Polymerized Solid-State Electrolyte with Comparable Ionic Conductivity and Better Interface Compatibility for Li-Ion Batteries

Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries have drawn extensive attention owing to increasing demands in applications from portable electronic devices to energy storage systems. In situ polymerization is considered one of the most promising approaches for enabling interfacial issues and improving compatibility between electrolytes and electrodes in batteries. Herein, we observed in situ thermally induced electrolytes based on an oxetane group with LiFSI as an initiator, and investigated structural characteristics, physicochemical properties, contacting interface, and electrochemical performances of as-prepared SPEs with a variety of technologies, such as FTIR, 1H-NMR, FE-SEM, EIS, LSV, and chronoamperometry. The as-prepared SPEs exhibited good thermal stability (stable up to 210 °C), lower activation energy, and high ionic conductivity (>0.1 mS/cm) at 30 °C. Specifically, SPE-2.5 displayed a comparable ionic conductivity (1.3 mS/cm at 80 °C), better interfacial compatibility, and a high Li-ion transference number. The SPE-2.5 electrolyte had comparable coulombic efficiency with a half-cell configuration at 0.1 C for 50 cycles. Obtained results could provide the possibility of high ionic conductivity and good compatibility through in situ polymerization for the development of Li-ion batteries.

A high-performance solid electrolyte assisted with hybrid biomaterials for lithium metal batteries

The demand for high safety lithium batteries has led to the rapid development of solid electrolytes. However, some inherent limitations of solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) impede them achieving commercial value. In this work, a novel polyethylene oxide (PEO)-based solid electrolyte is reported. For the first time, biomaterial-based chitosan-silica (CS) hybrid particles serve as fillers, which can interact with polymer matrix to significantly improve the electrochemical performance. The optimized polymer electrolyte exhibits a maximum ion conductivity of 1.91 × 10^-4 S·cm^-1 at 30 °C when the mass ratio of PEO and CS is 4:1 (PCS4). All-solid-state LiFePO₄|PCS4|Li cells deliver a high coulombic efficiency and stable cycling performance, remaining an excellent capacity of more than 96.2 % after 150 cycles. Furthermore, the wide electrochemical window (5.4 V) and steady interfacial stability provide the possibility for high-voltage batteries applications. NCM811|| Li cells are assembled and display reliable charge and discharge cycle properties.

Hydrogen-Bond-Triggered Hybrid Nanofibrous Membrane-Based Wearable Pressure Sensor with Ultrahigh Sensitivity over a Broad Pressure Range

Recently, flexible capacitive pressure sensors have received significant attention in the field of wearable electronics. The high sensitivity over a wide linear range combined with long-term durability is a critical requirement for the fabrication of reliable pressure sensors for versatile applications. Herein, we propose a special approach to enhance the sensitivity and linearity range of a capacitive pressure sensor by fabricating a hybrid ionic nanofibrous membrane as a sensing layer composed of Ti₃C₂T_x MXene and an ionic salt of lithium sulfonamides in a poly(vinyl alcohol) elastomer matrix. The reversible ion pumping triggered by a hydrogen bond in the hybrid sensing layer leads to high sensitivities of 5.5 and 1.5 kPa^-1 in the wide linear ranges of 0-30 and 30-250 kPa, respectively, and a fast response time of 70.4 ms. In addition, the fabricated sensor exhibits a minimum detection limit of 2 Pa and high durability over 20 000 continuous cycles even under a high pressure of 45 kPa. These results indicate that the proposed sensor can be potentially used in mobile medical monitoring devices and next-generation artificial e-skin.

Thermal and Electrochemical Properties of Solid Polymer Electrolytes Prepared via Lithium Salt-Catalyzed Epoxide Ring Opening Polymerization

Solid polymer electrolytes have been widely proposed for use in all solid-state lithium batteries. Advantages of polymer electrolytes over liquid and ceramic electrolytes include their flexibility, tunability and easy processability. An additional benefit of using some types of polymers for electrolytes is that they can be processed without the use of solvents. An example of polymers that are compatible with solvent-free processing is epoxide-containing precursors that can form films via the lithium salt-catalyzed epoxide ring opening polymerization reaction. Many polymers with epoxide functional groups are liquid under ambient conditions and can be used to directly dissolve lithium salts, allowing the reaction to be performed in a single reaction vessel under mild conditions. The existence of a variety of epoxide-containing polymers opens the possibility for significant customization of the resultant films. This review discusses several varieties of epoxide-based polymer electrolytes (polyethylene, silicone-based, amine and plasticizer-containing) and to compare them based on their thermal and electrochemical properties.

Blend Hybrid Solid Electrolytes Based on LiTFSI Doped Silica-Polyethylene Oxide for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Organic/inorganic hybrid membranes that are based on GTT (GPTMS-TMES-TPTE) system while using 3-Glycidoxypropyl-trimethoxysilane (GPTMS), Trimethyletoxisilane (TMES), and Trimethylolpropane triglycidyl ether (TPTE) as precursors have been obtained while using a combination of organic polymerization and sol-gel synthesis to be used as electrolytes in Li-ion batteries. Self-supported materials and thin-films solid hybrid electrolytes that were doped with Lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI) were prepared. The hybrid network is based on highly cross-linked structures with high ionic conductivity. The dependency of the crosslinked hybrid structure and polymerization grade on ionic conductivity is studied. Ionic conductivity depends on triepoxy precursor (TPTE) and the accessibility of Li ions in the organic network, reaching a maximum ionic conductivity of 1.3 × 10⁻⁴ and 1.4 × 10⁻³ S cm⁻¹ at room temperature and 60 °C, respectively. A wide electrochemical stability window in the range of 1.5–5 V facilitates its use as solid electrolytes in next-generation of Li-ion batteries.

Effect of morphological change of copper-oxide fillers on the performance of solid polymer electrolytes for lithium-metal polymer batteries

Solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) for Li-metal polymer batteries are prepared, in which poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), lithium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI), and copper-oxide fillers are formulated. Their structural and electrochemical properties are analyzed when the morphology of the copper-oxide fillers has been modulated to spherical or dendritic structure. The ionic conductivity obtained by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) has been increased to 1.007 × 10⁻⁴ S cm⁻¹ at 30 °C and 1.368 × 10⁻³ S cm⁻¹ at 60 °C, as the 5 wt% dendritic fillers have been added to the SPEs. This ionic conductivity value is 1.3 times higher than that of 5 wt% spherical filler-contained SPEs. The analyses of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) indicate that the increase of ionic conductivity is due to the remarkable decrease of crystallinity upon the addition of copper-oxide filler into PEO matrix of SPEs. The fabricated SPEs with the dendritic copper-oxide fillers present a total ionic transference number of 0.99 and a lithium-ion transference number of 0.38. More importantly, it presents a stable potential window of 2.0–4.8 V at 25 °C and high thermal stability up to 300 °C. The specific discharge capacity of the prepared cell with the dendritic filler-contained SPEs is measured to be 51 mA h g⁻¹ and 125 mA h g⁻¹ under 0.1 current-rate (C-rate) at 25 °C and 60 °C, respectively. In this study, the ionic conductivity and the electrochemical performance of the PEO-based polymer electrolyte have been evaluated when morphologically different copper-oxide fillers have been incorporated into the PEO matrix. We have also confirmed the safety and the flexibility of the prepared solid polymer electrolytes when they are used in flexible lithium-metal polymer batteries (LMPBs).

Solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) for Li-metal polymer batteries are prepared, in which poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), lithium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI), and copper-oxide fillers are formulated.