Quasi-Solid-State Polymer Electrolyte Based on Electrospun Polyacrylonitrile/Polysilsesquioxane Composite Nanofiber...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Polymer Science

Background:

• Liquid electrolytes in lithium batteries pose safety risks due to Li dendrite formation.
• Developing safer, high-performance solid-state or quasi-solid-state electrolytes is crucial for next-generation energy storage.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel quasi-solid-state polymer electrolyte membrane for safer lithium batteries.
• To address the safety concerns associated with liquid electrolytes and lithium dendrite growth.

Main Methods:

• Synthesized a 1,4-phenylene bridged polysilsesquioxane (PSiO) via sol-gel method.
• Coated PSiO onto electrospun polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers to create a PAN@PSiO composite membrane.
• Utilized the composite membrane as an electrolyte scaffold and separator in lithium batteries.

Main Results:

• The PAN@PSiO membrane demonstrated a high electrolyte uptake of 297 wt% and excellent mechanical properties.
• Achieved an ionic conductivity of 1.58 × 10^-3 S cm^-1 at room temperature with an electrochemical stability window of 4.8 V.
• A LiFePO₄|PAN@PSiO|Li full cell exhibited superior cycling stability (137.6 mAh g^-1 at 0.2 C after 160 cycles) and rate performance.

Conclusions:

• The PAN@PSiO composite membrane is a promising quasi-solid-state electrolyte scaffold for enhancing lithium battery safety and performance.
• The developed material effectively mitigates lithium dendrite issues, paving the way for safer lithium battery technologies.
• Optimized electrode-membrane interfaces contribute to the superior electrochemical characteristics of the full cell.