Elastomeric Polyethylene Glycol-b-Polypropylene Glycol-b-Polyethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate Polymer Network As Polymer Electrolyte Membrane for Li-Ion Batteries

Monday, 14 October 2019
Grand Ballroom (The Hilton Atlanta)
S. T. Narute, J. C. Marin Angel, K. Cavicchi, and T. Kyu (The University of Akron)
In an effort to fabricate stretchable, superionic, hydrophobic, stable solid-state polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM), polyethylene glycol-b-polypropylene glycol-b-polyethylene glycol dimethacrylate (PPPDA) photocurable precursor was synthesized. This precursor was used in ternary mixtures consisting of ethylene carbonate (EC) plasticizer, and lithium trifluorosulphonyl imide salt (LiTFSI) which were melt-mixed to obtain isotropic solution over a wide compositional range. On photopolymerization, the ternary mixture formed a completely amorphous and transparent membrane. This polymer membrane exhibits ionic conductivity of about 10-3 S/cm, improved thermal and moisture resistance, and superior tensile properties as compared to the polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA) based PEMs. The polymeric membrane showed a wide electrochemical window on testing with half cells consisting of stainless steel (SS)/PEM/Li Foil. In order to evaluate the electrochemical performance of the polymeric membranes, half cells comprising LiFePO4/PEM/Li foil were tested using cyclic voltammetry and charge/discharge cycling performance.