New options for energy storage become ever more important due to the ongoing changes in energy science and technology. The storage of electrical energy until its utilization is especially more complex than in the case of fossil fuels. Lithium batteries are the most used media for energy storage, but they also present some safety related problems: the high reactivity of the anode versus the electrolyte can cause the formation of toxic decomposition products. Alternatives are researched in order to minimize this potential hazard. By substituting liquid by solid polymer electrolytes, large improvements regarding safety issues can be made. During this project solid electrolytes based on PAN were synthesized using electrospinning with the goal of a solid electrolyte with high conductivity and high thermal and mechanical stability. Samples were produced using solution casting to compare the method to electrospinning. The products were characterized by X-Ray diffraction, and their conductivity was determined by impedance spectroscopy. Furthermore, the activation energy of these materials based on their conductivity were determined using the Arrhenius equation. The morphology of the fibers was analyzed using SEM. No difference in crystallinity was observed in XRD analyses after PEIS assays, which could have strong influence on the cycling behavior. Doubling the amount of conductive salt showed a great impact on the conductivity and led to values three orders of magnitude higher 0.2 mS/cm, both at 293 K. The membranes showed a dense fiber structure with an elastic character. Our preliminary results show that these materials could be a great alternative for application in future advanced solid polymer batteries.

Novel electrospun PAN-based solid polymer electrolytes for lithium-ion batteries

ACS Spring 2022

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.