Influence of TiO 2 nano-particles on the transport properties of composite polymer electrolyte for lithium-ion batteries

Abstract

The influence of synthesized nano-sized TiO 2 particles on the ionic transport properties of PEO (polyethylene oxide)-based composite polymer electrolytes (CPEs) was investigated in this study. The nano-sized TiO 2 particles with pure anatase phase can be synthesized by a developed process. It was found that the ionic conductivity of the TiO 2 modified CPE increases with a decrease in the grain size of TiO 2. The conductivity ( σ = 1.40 × 10 −4 S cm −1) for the PEO–10% LiClO 4–5% TiO 2 (3.7 nm) electrolyte is an order of magnitude higher than that the pure PEO–10% LiClO 4 ( σ = 1.03 × 10 −5 S cm −1) at 30 °C. Meanwhile, the transference numbers of 0.51 and 0.21 were obtained for the TiO 2 modified CPE and pure PEO–LiClO 4, respectively. Both results imply that the nano-sized TiO 2 particles in the PEO–LiClO 4 matrix provide a new pathway for the transport of lithium ions.