{"title":"Waterborne Polyurethane Micelles Reinforce PEO-Based Electrolytes for Lithium Metal Batteries","authors":"Zhen Shi, Hongru Zhou, Zixin Fan, Kairui Guo, Hui Nie, Xingping Zhou, Zhigang Xue","doi":"10.1002/smll.202407293","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Although solid polymer electrolytes have been developed for several decades, poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) or polymers with ethoxy (EO) segments are still one of the most promising candidates for advanced batteries. The low ionic conductivity and lithium-ion transference number as well as the deterioration of mechanical properties after coupling with lithium salts restrict its further adoption. Herein, a serial of PEO-based composite electrolytes optimized by waterborne polyurethane are prepared via blend method. With the assistance of H<sub>2</sub>O, ionic type waterborne polyurethane assembles into flexible micelles, in which hydrophobic segments as the core and hydrophilic groups as the shell. Utilizing this feature of waterborne polyurethane, PEO and Li salt (LiTFSI) aqueous solution is slowly added to the organic solution of waterborne polyurethane to compound in situ, and polymer composite electrolytes are fabricated. The multilevel (hydrogen bonds with different binding energy) and multiscale (deformation of flexible micelles) dynamic interaction endows the composite electrolyte with attractive mechanical properties. The assembled Li|Li symmetric battery with the molar ratio of EO to Li salts of 8:1 exhibits excellent cycling stability up to 800 h at 0.1 mA cm<sup>−2</sup>, and the assembled Li|LiFePO<sub>4</sub> battery can be stably cycled at 1C for >400 cycles.","PeriodicalId":228,"journal":{"name":"Small","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":13.0000,"publicationDate":"2024-10-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Small","FirstCategoryId":"88","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202407293","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"CHEMISTRY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Although solid polymer electrolytes have been developed for several decades, poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) or polymers with ethoxy (EO) segments are still one of the most promising candidates for advanced batteries. The low ionic conductivity and lithium-ion transference number as well as the deterioration of mechanical properties after coupling with lithium salts restrict its further adoption. Herein, a serial of PEO-based composite electrolytes optimized by waterborne polyurethane are prepared via blend method. With the assistance of H2O, ionic type waterborne polyurethane assembles into flexible micelles, in which hydrophobic segments as the core and hydrophilic groups as the shell. Utilizing this feature of waterborne polyurethane, PEO and Li salt (LiTFSI) aqueous solution is slowly added to the organic solution of waterborne polyurethane to compound in situ, and polymer composite electrolytes are fabricated. The multilevel (hydrogen bonds with different binding energy) and multiscale (deformation of flexible micelles) dynamic interaction endows the composite electrolyte with attractive mechanical properties. The assembled Li|Li symmetric battery with the molar ratio of EO to Li salts of 8:1 exhibits excellent cycling stability up to 800 h at 0.1 mA cm−2, and the assembled Li|LiFePO4 battery can be stably cycled at 1C for >400 cycles.
期刊介绍:
Small serves as an exceptional platform for both experimental and theoretical studies in fundamental and applied interdisciplinary research at the nano- and microscale. The journal offers a compelling mix of peer-reviewed Research Articles, Reviews, Perspectives, and Comments.
With a remarkable 2022 Journal Impact Factor of 13.3 (Journal Citation Reports from Clarivate Analytics, 2023), Small remains among the top multidisciplinary journals, covering a wide range of topics at the interface of materials science, chemistry, physics, engineering, medicine, and biology.
Small's readership includes biochemists, biologists, biomedical scientists, chemists, engineers, information technologists, materials scientists, physicists, and theoreticians alike.