Crosslinked poly(allyl glycidyl ether) with pendant nitrile groups as solid polymer electrolytes for Li–S batteries

Abstract

Synthesis of Poly(allyl glycidyl ether)s (PAGE), the modification of allyl side chains of PAGE with 3-((2-(2-(2-mercaptoethoxy)ethoxy)ethyl)thio)propanenitrile (CN) and furfuryl mercaptan (FM) (CN/FM-PAGE) for Li-salt dissociation and crosslinking, respectively, is reported. A CN/FM-PAGE with 3% crosslinking ratio as a solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) for Li–S battery exhibits the highest Li-ion conductivity of 1.01 × 10–4 S cm–1 with a [Li]/[O] ratio of 0.2 at 30 °C. Moreover, the SPEs manifest favorable operation up to 80 charge–discharge cycles with high coulombic efficiency (>95%) and good lithium plating/stripping performance.