Hybrid Crosslinked Solid Polymer Electrolyte via In-Situ Solidification Enables High-Performance Solid-State Lithium...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Polymer Chemistry

Background:

• Solid-state lithium-metal batteries offer high energy density and safety advantages.
• Current limitations include poor thermal/electrochemical stability and interfacial reactions in linear polyethers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an advanced organic/inorganic hybrid polymer electrolyte (HCPE) for improved solid-state lithium-metal batteries.
• To overcome the stability and interfacial issues associated with traditional polymer electrolytes.

Main Methods:

• In-situ ring-opening hybrid crosslinked polymerization.
• Fabrication and characterization of the HCPE for solid-state battery applications.

Main Results:

• Achieved superior ionic conductivity (2.22 × 10^-3 S cm^-1 at 30 °C) and an ultrahigh Li⁺ transference number (0.88).
• Demonstrated a wide electrochemical stability window (5.2 V) and stable lithium stripping/plating for over 1000 hours.
• Assembled solid-state batteries exhibited excellent long-cycle performance (>600 cycles at 2 C) with 92.1% capacity retention.

Conclusions:

• The developed HCPE provides a promising pathway for high-safety, high-energy-density solid-state lithium-metal batteries.
• The noncombustible nature and stable interface of HCPE address critical challenges for practical applications.