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A Silica‐Aerogel‐Reinforced Composite Polymer Electrolyte with High Ionic Conductivity and High Modulus
Author(s) -
Lin Dingchang,
Yuen Pak Yan,
Liu Yayuan,
Liu Wei,
Liu Nian,
Dauskardt Reinhold H.,
Cui Yi
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
advanced materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 10.707
H-Index - 527
eISSN - 1521-4095
pISSN - 0935-9648
DOI - 10.1002/adma.201802661
Subject(s) - aerogel , materials science , electrolyte , composite number , ionic conductivity , polymer , lithium (medication) , conductivity , composite material , quasi solid , chemical engineering , ionic bonding , cathode , ion , electrode , dye sensitized solar cell , organic chemistry , chemistry , medicine , engineering , endocrinology
High‐energy all‐solid‐state lithium (Li) batteries have great potential as next‐generation energy‐storage devices. Among all choices of electrolytes, polymer‐based systems have attracted widespread attention due to their low density, low cost, and excellent processability. However, they are generally mechanically too weak to effectively suppress Li dendrites and have lower ionic conductivity for reasonable kinetics at ambient temperature. Herein, an ultrastrong reinforced composite polymer electrolyte (CPE) is successfully designed and fabricated by introducing a stiff mesoporous SiO 2 aerogel as the backbone for a polymer‐based electrolyte. The interconnected SiO 2 aerogel not only performs as a strong backbone strengthening the whole composite, but also offers large and continuous surfaces for strong anion adsorption, which produces a highly conductive pathway across the composite. As a consequence, a high modulus of ≈0.43 GPa and high ionic conductivity of ≈0.6 mS cm −1 at 30 °C are simultaneously achieved. Furthermore, LiFePO 4 –Li full cells with good cyclability and rate capability at ambient temperature are obtained. Full cells with cathode capacity up to 2.1 mAh cm −2 are also demonstrated. The aerogel‐reinforced CPE represents a new design principle for solid‐state electrolytes and offers opportunities for future all‐solid‐state Li batteries.