Porosity Tunable Poly(Lactic Acid)-Based Composite Gel Polymer Electrolyte with High Electrolyte Uptake for...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Environmental Science

Background:

• Petroleum-derived polymer electrolytes in supercapacitors contribute to carbon emissions and global warming.
• Existing membranes lack sufficient porosity and electrolyte uptake for high-performance, long-cycle supercapacitors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a renewable, biodegradable biocomposite membrane for quasi-solid-state supercapacitors.
• To address the environmental concerns associated with conventional polymer electrolytes.
• To enhance supercapacitor performance through improved membrane properties.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a porous biocomposite membrane using poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP).
• Utilized a non-solvent phase inversion method to achieve tunable porosity.
• Incorporated PVDF-HFP as a modifier to stabilize the PLA structure and optimize pore aperture.

Main Results:

• The fabricated membrane exhibits high porosity (approx. 71%) and excellent liquid electrolyte uptake (366%).
• The biocomposite membrane demonstrates preferable flexibility and satisfactory electrochemical stability in coin and flexible supercapacitors.
• The material shows stable performance over extended cycling.

Conclusions:

• The developed environmentally friendly membrane effectively reduces reliance on non-degradable polymers.
• This biocomposite membrane shows significant potential for application in wearable electronic devices.
• The study highlights a sustainable approach to supercapacitor component manufacturing.