Paramount attention has been paid on solid polymer electrolytes due to their potential in enhancement of energy density as well as improvement of safety. Herein, the composite electrolytes consisting of Li-salt-free polyethylene oxides and 200 nm-sized Li 6.4 La 3 Zr 1.4 Ta 0.6 O 12 particles interfacially wetted by [BMIM]TF 2 N of 1.8 μL cm −2 have been prepared. Such wetted ionic liquid remains the solid state of membrane electrolytes and decreases the interface impedance between the electrodes and the electrolytes. There is no release of the liquid phase from the PEO matrix when the pressure of 5.0 × 10 4 Pa being applied for 24 h. The interfacially wetted membrane electrolytes show the conductivity of 2.2 × 10 −4 S cm −1 at 20 °C, which is one order of magnitude greater than that of the membranes without the wetted ionic liquids. The conduction mechanism is related to a large number of lithium ions releasing from Li 6.4 La 3 Zr 1.4 Ta 0.6 O 12 particles and the improved conductive paths along the ion-liquid-wetted interfaces between the polymer matrix and ceramic grains. When the membranes being used in the solid-state LiFePO 4 /Li and LiFe 0.15 Mn 0.85 PO 4 /Li cells at 25 °C, the excellent rate capability and superior cycle stability has been shown. The results provide a new prospect for solid polymer electrolytes used for room-temperature solid-state lithium batteries .
Composite polymer-ceramic electrolytes have shown considerable potential for high-energy-density Li-metal batteries as they combine the benefits of both polymers and ceramics. However, low ionic conductivity and poor contact with electrodes limit their practical usage. In this study, a highly conductive and stable composite electrolyte with a high ceramic loading is developed for high-energy-density Li-metal batteries. The electrolyte, produced through in situ polymerization and composed of a polymer called poly-1,3-dioxolane in a poly(vinylidene fluoride)/ceramic matrix, exhibits excellent room-temperature ionic conductivity of 1.2 mS cm −1 and high stability with Li metal over 1500 h. When tested in a Li|electrolyte|LiFePO 4 battery, the electrolyte delivers excellent cycling performance and rate capability at room temperature, with a discharge capacity of 137 mAh g −1 over 500 cycles at 1 C. Furthermore, the electrolyte not only exhibits a high Li + transference number of 0.76 but also significantly lowers contact resistance (from 157.8 to 2.1 Ω) relative to electrodes. When used in a battery with a high-voltage LiNi 0.8 Mn 0.1 Co 0.1 O 2 cathode, a discharge capacity of 140 mAh g −1 is achieved. These results show the potential of composite polymer-ceramic electrolytes in room-temperature solid-state Li-metal batteries and provide a strategy for designing highly conductive polymer-in-ceramic electrolytes with electrode-compatible interfaces.