High-performance gel polymer electrolytes using P(VDF-HFP) doped with appropriate porous carbon powders as the matrix for lithium-ion batteries

Abstract

Porous carbon powders are prepared from raw material camellia oleifera shells by ball milling and pyrolysis processes. Poly(vinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene) (P(VDF-HFP)-based gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs) doped with different proportions of porous carbon powders are successfully fabricated using a classical inverse phase method, which is confirmed by X-ray diffraction, thermo-gravimetric analysis, and field emission scanning electron microscope. The results show that the porous GPE-3 membrane has a high liquid uptake ratio of about 104.3%, a high decomposition temperature of 435 °C, a rapidly stabilized interface impedance to 517.6 Ω after 5 days storage time, and a high ionic conductivity of 3.921 mS cm−1 at room temperature when the doping amount of porous carbon powders is 3.0 wt%. Furthermore, the assembled LiCoO2/GPE-3/Li coin cells can deliver a high initial discharge specific capacity of 152.7 mAh g−1 and an excellent initial coulombic efficiency of 97.27% at 0.1 C. These good properties indicate that the as-prepared GPE-3 can be used as a potential polymer electrolyte for lithium-ion batteries.