Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The poor thermal stability of polypropylene (PP) separators poses risks of electrolyte leakage and battery short-circuiting, limiting their application in lithium metal batteries (LMBs). To address these challenges, a gel polymer membrane was designed using polymer blending technology. This membrane effectively retains the electrolyte, provides a stable environment, enhances thermal stability, and significantly decreases the risk of battery explosions and side reactions between the lithium metal and the electrolyte. Compared to commercial PP separators, the developed blend-type gel polymer electrolyte (b-GPE) demonstrates a superior performance, including structural stability at temperatures up to 150 °C and a high lithium-ion transference number (tLi+) of 0.513. Furthermore, a cell with a LiCoO2 cathode operated at a 1 C rate retains 97.4% of its capacity after 300 cycles. After exposure to 120 °C, the b-GPE-120 demonstrates that its performance is comparable to that of the b-GPE, such as a tLi+ of 0.506, a high electrolyte absorption rate, and a wide electrochemical window of 5.2 V.
Source: Colloids and Interfaces
Authors: Xianhui Chen, Xue Wang, Xing Li, Xing Xin
Institution: Ningbo University
Language: English
Subfield: Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,930
Awards: G5668615335, G8789378044
OpenAlex ID: W4410375832