Eco-friendly polyvinyl alcohol/cellulose nanofiber–Li+ composite separator for high-performance lithium-ion batteries

A novel eco-friendly polyvinyl alcohol/cellulose nanofiber–Li+ (PVA/CNF–Li) composite separator was prepared for lithium-ion batteries. In this membrane by a non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) wet-process, CNF–Li originating from wood pulp was successfully prepared and characterized by FT-IR and TEM. The composite separators showed excellent porosity of over 60%, and better ionic conductivity (∼1.1 mS cm−1) as well as remarkable electrolyte uptake approaching 2.3. CNF–Li combined the excellent properties of both nanofibers and ion-conductive polymers such as CMC–Li. The introduction of CNF–Li in the separator increased the thermal dimensional stability and mechanical performance. Simultaneously, CNF–Li as a constituent in the membrane increased the contents of Li+, opening a way for Li+ transportation to improve batteries' Li+ diffusion efficiency and specific capacity. The battery with a 2 wt% CNF–Li separator retained 93% of the initial reversible capacity after 50 cycles, which was much higher than that of the commercial polypropylene (PP) separator with a value of 80%. The PVA/CNF–Li composite membrane produced via a relatively low cost and eco-friendly method can serve as a potential alternative of commercial PP separators applied in high-performance lithium-ion batteries.