Lithium-Ion Polymer Cells Fabricated Using in-Situ Cross-Linked Quasi-Solid-State Polymer Electrolyte

Abstract

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have been actively developed and are being used nowadays in various applications. However, liquid electrolyte currently used in LIBs has critical drawbacks such as flammability and leakage problem. To enhance the safety of LIBs, intensive efforts have been devoted to replace liquid electrolyte to safer electrolytes. Among the various promising electrolyte systems, solid polymer electrolytes have received great attention due to enhanced safety, absence of leakage and design flexibility. However, their low ionic conductivities preclude their practical applications at ambient temperatures. Accordingly, most relevant research has focused on the preparation and characterization of plasticized polymer electrolytes that contain small amount of organic solvent. In this work, we report the preparation and electrochemical characteristics of quasi-solid-state polymer electrolytes synthesized from ion-conductive poly(propylene carbonate) (PPC), which were in-situ cross-linked in the presence of small amount of plasticizing solvent by click chemistry. The polymer electrolyte was applied to the lithium polymer cell composed a lithium anode and a LiNi0.6Co0.2Mn0.2O2 cathode. Our result demonstrate that the quasi-solid-state polymer electrolytes are very promising electrolytes for achieving high performance and enhancing battery safety.