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Gel polymer electrolyte based on hydrophilic–lipophilic TiO2-modified thermoplastic polyurethane for high-performance Li-ion batteries

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Abstract

Due to the advantages of high energy density and improved safety properties, Li metal batteries with gel polymer electrolyte (GPE) have drawn much attention in recent years. Herein, a novel gel thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) electrolyte filled with ultrafine hydrophilic–lipophilic TiO2 nanoparticles was successfully prepared by using a phase separation technology. The gel electrolyte can protect the battery against the leakage of liquid electrolyte by means of its strong interaction with Li+ and solvents. This kind of GPE shows an ionic conductivity of 1.59 mS cm−1 and an electrochemical window of 4.3 V (vs. Li/Li+) at room temperature. Robust TiO2 nanoparticles embedded into TPU matrix can effectively block dendrite puncture and, besides, greatly improve the thermal stability of GPE. The cycling performance, rate capability and mechanical properties guarantee the reliability of the as-prepared GPE in Li-ion batteries.

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The authors declare that the data supporting the findings of this study are available within the article and its Supplementary Information files.

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Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51702371), High-level Talent Gathering Project in Hunan Province (2019RS1059), Graduate Innovation Foundation of Hunan Province (Nos. 2018XTUXJ049 and 201810530017) and Postgraduate Education Reform Project of Hunan Province (Grant Nos. CX20190423).

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  1. Yunhong Jiang and Feng Li have contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Rheological Mechanics, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan, 411105, Hunan, China

    Yunhong Jiang, Feng Li, Yufan Mei, Yanhuai Ding & Ping Zhang

  2. School of Chemistry, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan, 411105, Hunan, China

    Huaji Pang

  3. National Engineering Center of Chemical Engineering Process Simulation and Enhancement, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan, 411105, Hunan, China

    Ping Zhang

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  1. Yunhong Jiang
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Jiang, Y., Li, F., Mei, Y. et al. Gel polymer electrolyte based on hydrophilic–lipophilic TiO2-modified thermoplastic polyurethane for high-performance Li-ion batteries. J Mater Sci 56, 2474–2485 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-020-05360-5

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