Mechanically, Thermally, and Interfacially Robust Solid Polymer Electrolytes Enabled by an Organic-Inorganic...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Polymer Science

Background:

• Solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) are crucial for high-energy-density solid-state Li metal batteries.
• Current SPEs face limitations in mechanical strength, thermal stability, interface stability, and ionic conductivity.
• These limitations hinder the practical application of SPEs in batteries.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a multifunctional host for SPEs with enhanced properties.
• To address the challenges of mechanical strength, thermal stability, and ionic transport in SPEs.
• To improve the safety and performance of solid-state Li metal batteries.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of an organic-inorganic interwoven architecture using PBO nanofiber and MXene nanosheets.
• Characterization of the mechanical, thermal, and electrochemical properties of the modified SPE.
• Assembly and testing of solid-state Li metal pouch cells using the developed SPE.

Main Results:

• The interwoven framework significantly improved mechanical strength (12.5-fold) and toughness (7-fold).
• Enhanced thermal stability with <10% shrinkage at 200°C and improved Li-ion transport (0.75 mS cm⁻¹).
• Demonstrated long-term interface stability (8000 h) and stable battery operation under abuse conditions (91.7% capacity retention after 300 cycles at 10C and 90°C).

Conclusions:

• The PBO/MXene interwoven architecture effectively overcomes the limitations of traditional SPEs.
• This strategy offers a promising pathway for developing safe and high-performance solid-state Li metal batteries.
• The developed SPE shows potential for applications requiring high energy density and robust safety features.