Stretchable and Elastic Polymer Electrolyte for Lithium Ion Batteries

Engineers at the Zhenan Bao Lab have developed an elastic Li-ion conductor with dual covalent and dynamic hydrogen bonding crosslinks providing high mechanical resilience without sacrificing the room temperature ionic conductivity. A solid?state lithium?metal/LiFePO₄ cell with this resilient electrolyte can operate at room temperature with a high cathode capacity of 152 mAh g^?1 for 300 cycles and can maintain operation even after being subjected to intense mechanical impact testing. This new dual crosslinking design provides robust mechanical properties while maintaining ionic conductivity similar to state-of-the-art polymer-based electrolytes. This approach opens a route toward stable, high performance operation of solid state batteries even under extreme abuse.

Figure

Figure description - a) Schematic of the response of different LIB electrolyte materials after being subjected to an impact. Liquid, ceramic, and polymer electrolytes short, crack, and deform respectively. Meanwhile, an elastic electrolyte material can reversibly recover and survive the impact event to continue operation.

Stage of Research