A safe, high-rate and high-energy polymer lithium-ion battery based on gelled membranes prepared by electrospinning

In this paper we report on the characteristics of a polymer Li-ion battery based on a unique combination of innovative electrode and electrolyte materials. In particular, the electrolytic separator of this system is based on gelled membranes prepared by the electrospinning technique. Electrospinning of polymer fibers is usually realized by applying a strong electric field to a polymer solution in an appropriate solvent. Typical membranes (mats) consist of nanometre size fibers and have porosities of 56–85%. Here we describe the fabrication, physical chemistry and electrochemical properties of PVdF (poly(vinylidene difluoride))-based electrospun membranes and their use as gelled electrolyte in Li-ion battery. Moreover, we describe the performances of a battery formed by sandwiching a gelled membrane with a nanoscale engineered Sn–C based anode and a lithium nickel manganese oxide spinel cathode. The battery so obtained has an appealing performance in terms of energy density, power capability, cycle life and safety.

[1]  Seung Goo Lee,et al.  Electrospun PVDF nanofiber web as polymer electrolyte or separator , 2004 .

[2]  Kun Gao,et al.  Crystal structures of electrospun PVDF membranes and its separator application for rechargeable lithium metal cells , 2006 .

[3]  Peter Ping-yi Tsai,et al.  Different electrostatic methods for making electret filters , 2002 .

[4]  Jayant Kumar,et al.  Electrospun Nanofibrous Membranes for Highly Sensitive Optical Sensors , 2002 .

[5]  Bruno Scrosati,et al.  A Nanostructured Sn–C Composite Lithium Battery Electrode with Unique Stability and High Electrochemical Performance , 2008 .

[6]  Bruno Scrosati,et al.  Nanostructured Sn–C Composite as an Advanced Anode Material in High‐Performance Lithium‐Ion Batteries , 2007 .

[7]  S. Bhat,et al.  VTF to arrhenius crossover in temperature dependence of conductivity in (PEG)xNH4ClO4 polymer electrolyte , 1998 .

[8]  B. Scrosati,et al.  Advanced electrolyte and electrode materials for lithium polymer batteries , 2003 .

[9]  M. Armand,et al.  Issues and challenges facing rechargeable lithium batteries , 2001, Nature.

[10]  Xin Zhou,et al.  A Dielectric Polymer with High Electric Energy Density and Fast Discharge Speed , 2006, Science.

[11]  J. Vacanti,et al.  A biodegradable nanofiber scaffold by electrospinning and its potential for bone tissue engineering. , 2003, Biomaterials.

[12]  Geoffrey Ingram Taylor,et al.  Electrically driven jets , 1969, Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. A. Mathematical and Physical Sciences.

[13]  Zhongyang Cheng,et al.  Electromechanical properties of poly(vinylidene-fluoride-chlorotrifluoroethylene) copolymer , 2006 .

[14]  Sung Won Choi,et al.  An Electrospun Poly(vinylidene fluoride) Nanofibrous Membrane and Its Battery Applications , 2003 .

[15]  Tetsuo Sakai,et al.  Electrochemical Performances of Polyacrylonitrile Nanofiber-Based Nonwoven Separator for Lithium-Ion Battery , 2007 .

[16]  Bruno Scrosati,et al.  A New, Safe, High‐Rate and High‐Energy Polymer Lithium‐Ion Battery , 2009, Advanced materials.

[17]  H. Ahn,et al.  Polymer electrolytes based on an electrospun poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) membrane for lithium batteries , 2007 .

[18]  Dong‐Won Kim,et al.  Cycling performance of lithium-ion batteries assembled with a hybrid composite membrane prepared by an electrospinning method , 2010 .

[19]  B. Scrosati,et al.  Sustainable High-Voltage Lithium Ion Polymer Batteries , 2005 .

[20]  S. W. Lee,et al.  Electrochemical properties and cycle performance of electrospun poly(vinylidene fluoride)-based fibrous membrane electrolytes for Li-ion polymer battery , 2006 .

[21]  M. Salomon,et al.  Gelled membranes for Li and Li-ion batteries prepared by electrospinning , 2008 .

[22]  Sung Won Choi,et al.  Characterization and Properties of P(VdF-HFP)-Based Fibrous Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Prepared by Electrospinning , 2005 .