Abstract
Superhydrophobic poly(vinylidene fluoride) PVDF-SiO2 composite membranes with different % of SiO2 contents were prepared by electrospinning. The surface morphologies of the membranes are characterized by using scanning electron microscopy. The nanofibers in the membranes were stacked in layers to produce fully interconnected pores that resulted in high porosity. The incorporation of SiO2 into the nanofiber membrane improved the ionic conductivity from 0.2428 × 10-4Scm-1 to 7.731 × 10-4Scm-1 at room temperature. The surface roughness of the membranes increased with increasing the SiO2 content, while the average diameter of nanofibers was rarely affected. Superhydrophobic PVDF membrane with a contact angle larger than 136° was prepared by the electrospinning of the SiO2 functionalized PVDF. The surface composition of the membranes is analyzed by using FTIR and the contact angles and water drops on the surface of the membrane are measured. The contact angle experimental results of PVDF-SiO2 composite membranes showed an improvement of hydrophobicity with % of nano SiO2.
Highlights
Polymer electrolytes have attracted great interest compared to traditional liquid electrolytes, which provide the advantages to develop lighter and safer batteries with long shelf life, leak proof construction and easy fabrication into desired shape and size [1]
The electrospinning was performed with 18 w/v% poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) solution in order to obtain nanofiber membranes that consist of bead-free fibers with uniform size and well-defined morphology
The high retention ability and faster penetration of liquid electrolyte into the fibrous membranes are due to the unique pores generated from the interconnected fibers
Summary
Polymer electrolytes have attracted great interest compared to traditional liquid electrolytes, which provide the advantages to develop lighter and safer batteries with long shelf life, leak proof construction and easy fabrication into desired shape and size [1]. The properties of porous host polymer membrane such as pore size, porosity and pore size distribution are strongly dependent on its processing methods. In the PVDF based porous polymer electrolytes, the absorbed liquid electrolyte is responsible for the ionic conduction while the PVDF matrix acts as the supporting backbone that separates the electrodes. Several electrospun membranes based on P(VdF-HFP) were reported [22,23,24,25] These membranes showed ionic conductivity in the order of mScm−1 at room temperature and were electrochemically stable at potentials higher than 4.5 V versus Li/Li+. An attempt was made to develop a new type of organic-inorganic composite nanofiber membranes based on PVDF-SiO2 via electrospinning method. The SiO2-dispersed PVDF nanofiber membranes led to excellent morphology suitable for the enhancement of electrochemical performance by providing large surface area, good electrolyte uptake, high contact angle and high ionic conductivity
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
