One-Step Synthesis of PVDF-HFP/PMMA-ZrO₂ Gel Polymer Electrolyte to Boost the Performance of a Lithium Metal Battery

Abstract

The safety issue of lithium batteries based on liquid electrolytes has become the focus of attention, especially when the batteries are exposed to mechanical, thermal, or electrical abuse conditions. To address this issue, gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs) have attracted widespread interest due to the property of solid–liquid coexistence with higher ionic conductivity, flexibility, and safety. In this work, a poly­(vinylidene-fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP)/poly­(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) matrix GPE, containing bis­(trifluoromethane)­sulfonimide lithium salt (LiTFSI) and spherical zirconium dioxide (ZrO2) nanoparticles, is successfully designed and synthesized by a simple one-step solution-casting route. It has been found that the obtained PVDF-HFP/PMMA-ZrO2-6% (PPZ-6%) electrolyte film possesses an excellent tensile strength of 37.7 MPa. Moreover, the PPZ-6% GPE not only has a high ionic conductivity of 1.46 × 10–3 S cm–1 at 25 °C but also presents excellent interface compatibility in an Li||Li symmetrical battery. The LiFePO4||Li cell assembled with the PPZ-6% GPE exhibits good cyclic stability at room temperature, e.g., a high discharge specific capacity of 153.0 mAh g–1, and a high Coulombic efficiency of 99% after 200 cycles at 0.5 C. Therefore, this organic–inorganic hybrid GPE modified with spherical ZrO2 nanoparticles reveals a good application prospect for high-performance lithium metal batteries (LMBs).

Improving the Ionic Conductivity of PEGDMA-Based Polymer Electrolytes by Reducing the Interfacial Resistance for LIBs

“…σ and tLi + results reflect the fabricated PEs, which can fully satisfy the practical application of LIBs at RT. C because of the increased polymer chain flexibility with temperature rise, which promotes facile ions' transport in the polymer electrolyte [28,29]. Moreover, σ reaches 1.19 × 10 −4 S cm −1 , 1.24 × 10 −4 S cm −1 and 6.13 × 10 −4 S cm −1 at RT for PE-10, PE-30 and PE-50, respectively.…”

“…Polymers 2022, 14, 3443 2 of 13 In terms of organic electrolytes, poly (acrylonitrile) (PAN), poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and poly (vinylidene fluoride-hexafluoro propylene) (PVdF-HFP), etc., have been widely studied and reported as the polymeric matrix over the past century [28][29][30][31]. Recently, researchers have also shown an increased interest in imidazolium, amine, silicon, epoxy, urethane and dextrin functionalized monomers to modify polymer electrolytes to meet the requirements of high-performance LIBs [32][33][34][35][36][37].…”

“…Figure5bdisplays the calculated σ versus temperature plots for four prepared polymer electrolytes. All values of σ increase with increasing temperature in the RT-80 • C range and σ of PE-50 reaches 1.01 × 10 −3 S cm −1 at 60 • C because of the increased polymer chain flexibility with temperature rise, which promotes facile ions' transport in the polymer electrolyte[28,29]. Moreover, σ reaches 1.19 × 10 −4 S cm −1 , 1.24 × 10 −4 S cm −1 and 6.13 × 10 −4 S cm −1 at RT for PE-10, PE-30 and PE-50, respectively.…”

An Electrochemically Stable Polyester Fabric-reinforced Poly(methyl methacrylate) Gel Polymer Electrolyte for Solid-State Lithium–Oxygen Batteries

“…However, the maximum tensile strength of the PVDF-HFP@PET GPE membrane is about 31 MPa and the elasticity is only 78% strain, which is lower than the PMMA@PET GPE membrane. 46 The PET fabric reinforced PMMA@PET GPE, therefore, is able to suppress the growth of lithium dendrites to achieve the prolonged cycle life of Li−O 2 battery.…”

Highly sensitive and repeatable recording photopolymer for holographic data storage containing N-methylpyrrolidone

“…N-Methylpyrrolidone (NMP) is an organic solvent with high solubility, low volatility, good stability, simple recovery, and low cost, and has broad application prospects. [36][37][38][39] Furthermore, NMP is a nitrogencontaining heterocyclic compound and has a lone electron pair on the N atom, which has a good electron donor capability. [40][41][42][43] Currently, the photosensitizer PQ has been shown to react more effectively with the CQC double bond of MMA, 28,44 the holographic properties can be improved by including more vinyl groups, and PQ molecules have remarkable electron-withdrawal capabilities.…”