Dual Curable Acrylated Epoxidized Soybean Oil/Amino-Polydimethylsiloxane/Polyethylene Glycol Diacrylate Based Flexible Self-Healing Gel Polymer Electrolyte for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Gel electrolytes with self-healing properties are considered a suitable substitute for conventional liquid electrolytes in lithium batteries due to their high energy density, outstanding battery safety, and low electrolyte degradation. However, ionic conductivity and self-healing remain challenging in practical applications. In this study, a self-healing gel polymer electrolyte (GPE) containing an amine-epoxy microcapsule is demonstrated. The polymer, which includes acrylated epoxidized soybean oil, polyethylene glycol diacrylate, and amine-epoxy microcapsules, is cross-linked with aminopropyl-terminated polydimethylsiloxane using dual curing to create the electrolyte. The resulting GPEs exhibit good thermal stability across a broad temperature range up to 270 °C and excellent self-healing ability. They also show a wide electrochemical stability window of 3.81 V and an ionic conductivity of 0.93 × 10⁻³ S cm⁻¹. Superior electrode interface contact, a notable initial discharge specific capacity of 136.2 mAh g⁻¹ at 0.1 C, and a capacity retention of 90.4% after 100 cycles are all displayed by the battery using the GPE-CP1 electrolyte. GPEs' enhanced ionic conductivity, enhanced electrochemical stability, and safety with self-healing properties make them highly promising for the next generation of flexible energy storage systems.