PCL-grafted polyrotaxane networks for solid polymer electrolytes

This study investigates the design of polyrotaxane-based solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) by grafting polycaprolactone (PCL) onto hydroxypropylated polyrotaxane (HyPR) and examining the synergistic effects of cross-linking and polymer grafting on key material properties. Incorporation of long-chain PEG crosslinker resulted in SPEs with high ionic conductivity, achieving 5.6 × 10 −6  S/cm at 30 °C and 1.5 × 10 −4  S/cm at 60 °C. Comparative analysis of short-chain and long-chain crosslinkers revealed the trade-off between enhancing segmental mobility for ionic transport and maintaining sufficient thermal and mechanical stability, underscoring the need for further optimization to achieve a well-balanced network structure. Overall, this work demonstrates the potential of polyrotaxane-based cross-linked networks as a versatile platform for high-performance SPEs and offers insights for the rational design of next-generation solid-state electrolyte materials.