Enhanced electrochemical properties of poly(ethylene oxide)-based composite polymer electrolyte with ordered mesoporous materials for lithium polymer battery

Ordered mesoporous materials (OMMs), due to its potential for advanced applications in separation technologies, catalysis, and nanoscience, have attracted much attention in the past decade. In this work, a novel PEO-based composite polymer electrolyte has been developed by using ordered mesoporous silica (OMS) as the filler. The interactions between OMS and PEO matrix are studied by XRD, DSC, and POM techniques in detail. The effects of OMS on the electrochemical properties of the PEO-based polymer electrolyte, such as ionic conductivity, lithium ion transference number, and electrochemical stability windows are studied by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and steady-state current method. The experimental results show that the addition of OMS can enhance the ionic conductivity and increase the lithium ion transference number of PEO-based polymer electrolyte at the same time. The excellent performances such as high ionic conductivity, good mechanical stability, and broad electrochemical stability window suggest that PEO–LiClO4/OMS composite polymer electrolyte can be used as candidate electrolyte material for lithium polymer batteries.