A new class of ionic conducting organic/ inorganic hybrid composite electrolyte with high conductivity, better electrochemical stability and mechanical behavior was prepared through the sol-gel processing between ethylene-bridged polysilsesquioxane and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG). The composite electrolyte with 0.05 LiClO 4 per PEG repeat unit has the best conductivity up to 10 À4 S/cm at room temperature with the transference number up to 0.48 and an electrochemical stability window as high as 5.5 V versus Li/Li þ . Moreover, the effect of the PEG chain length on the properties of the composite electrolyte has also been studied. The interactions between ions and polymer have also been investigated for the composite electrolyte in the presence of LiClO 4 by means of FTIR, DSC, and TGA. The results indicated the interaction of Li þ ions with the ether oxygen of the PEG, and the formation of transient crosslinking with LiClO 4 , resulting in an increase of the T g of the composite electrolyte. The VTF-type behavior of the ionic conductivity implied that the diffusion of the charge carriers was assisted by the segmental motions of the polymer chains.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.