Novel Polymer Solid Electrolyte for Flexible Batteries

University of Maryland
posted on 08/06/2009

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Researchers at the University of Maryland have come up with a novel nanostructured thin film flexible battery electrolyte based on a poly ethylene oxide (PEO) that is derived from a diblock copolymer.

• Enhanced compatibility of the novel polymer electrolytes to lithium electrodes, leading to minimum capacity fade over 500 cycles.
• An order of magnitude better ionic conductivity performance at room temperature as compared to the PEO homopolymer of similar molecular weight. The value obtained for the diblock copolymer electrolyte is nearly two orders of magnitude greater than that shown by traditional high molecular weight PEO homopolymer electrolytes, in the absence of ceramic fillers and similar additives.
• Shape versatility and processability of polymers makes them prime candidates for miniature systems where device design is often constrained by the bulk and size of the energy source.
• Solid state polymer electrolytes make possible the design of ultra-thin batteries with thicknesses as low as 100?m.
• Safety is also a key aspect of these electrolytes. The novel electrolyte membrane is a translucent flexible membrane. When exposed to air and moisture, the electrolyte slowly turns opaque and becomes brittle. This is in sharp contrast to electrolytes based on Lithium Hexafluorophosphate (LiPF6) where the salt hydrolyses to form extremely corrosive hydrofluoric acid (HF).