Cycling performance of lithium-ion polymer batteries assembled using in-situ chemical cross-linking without a free radical initiator

•Cross-linked gel polymer electrolyte is synthesized without initiators in the cell.•It has a high ionic conductivity and favourable interfacial characteristics.•Lithium-ion polymer cell exhibits good capacity retention and high rate performance.

We present a cross-linked gel polymer electrolyte for lithium-ion polymer batteries that can be easily synthesised without any initiators. The gel polymer electrolyte has a high ionic conductivity comparable to a liquid electrolyte, as well as favourable interfacial characteristics between the electrodes and the electrolyte during cycling. The lithium-ion polymer batteries assembled with cross-linked gel polymer electrolyte exhibit improved capacity retention and good rate capability.