Development of dry polymer electrolyte based on polyethylene oxide with co-bridging agent crosslinked by electron beam

Polyethylene oxide (PEO)-based electrolytes were crosslinked using electron beam (EB) irradiation. The gel contents of a polymer film were increased after irradiation doses of 0, 140, 280, and 420 kGy, with ionic conductivities of 0.831, 1.55, 6.08, and 7.95 (× 10− 5) S cm− 1 at 40 °C, respectively. The slight decrease in conductivity at higher temperatures after irradiation is due to the retardation of polymer motion by crosslinking. The electrolyte with higher EB dose amount exhibits higher conductivity due to stabilization of the amorphous state. The EB crosslinking with a co-bridging agent shows enhanced conductivities of 4.71, 6.59, and 7.18 (× 10− 5) S cm− 1 at 40 °C, after irradiation with 140, 280, and 420 kGy. Addition of the co-bridging agent is effective for developing a crosslinked structure with a smaller EB dose. Tensile strength becomes two to three times higher with irradiation compared to the non-treated polymer. Combination of the EB technique with a co-bridging agent is a simple and effective method to prepare strong dry polymer electrolyte films with improved room temperature conductivity.