Ternary PEO/PVDF-HFP-Based Polymer Electrolytes for Li-Ion Batteries

Abstract

The impetus to study and develop polymer electrolytes for metal-ion batteries is due to their enhanced safety compared to flammable organic liquid electrolytes, promising ionic conductivity, and broad electrochemical stability window, making them to viable candidates for battery application. In the current work, we present a simple fabrication procedure and a comprehensive physico–chemical study of various PVDF-HFP-based electrolyte formulations with a sufficient addition of PEO polymer, LiTFSI conducting salt, and EMIMTFSI ionic liquid. The ionic conductivity, activation energy for ionic movement and thickness of the resulting polymer electrolyte show a non-linear dependency on the PVDF-HFP/PEO ratio. The electrolyte composition with a 0.35PEO-0.65PVDF-HFP/1LiTFSI/1EMIMTFSI mass fraction exhibits the highest ionic conductivity among the compositions, revealing 7.7×10−5 S cm−1 at 30 °C. Electrochemical tests in half full and full Li-ion batteries with a LiFePO4 cathode and Li4Ti5O12 anode also emphasized this composition as the most promising one, providing an initial capacity in full cells of 120 mAh g−1 and a capacity retention of about 75% after 50 charge/discharge cycles at a 0.1 C current rate. In the PEO/PVDF-HFP polymer blend with EMIMTFSI as a plasticizer, the amount of crystalline parts, which are detrimental to a fast ionic diffusion, is significantly reduced.