Blends of PVdF-HFP and ionic liquids (ILs) are interesting for application as electrolytes in plastic Li batteries. They combine the advantages of the gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs) swollen by conventional organic liquid electrolytes with the nonflammability, and high thermal and electrochemical stability of ILs. In this work we prepared and characterized PVdF-HFP composite membranes swollen with a solution of LiTFSI in ether-functionalized pyrrolidinium-imide ionic liquid (PYRA 12O1 TFSI). The membranes were filled in with two different types of silica: (i) mesoporous SiO 2 (SBA-15) and (ii) a commercial nano-size one (HiSil TM T700). The ionic conductivity and the electrochemical properties of the gel electrolytes were studied in terms of the nature of the filler. The thermal and the transport properties of the composite membranes are similar. In particular, room temperature ionic conductivities higher than 0.25 mS cm −1 are easily obtained at defined filler contents. However, the mesoporous filler guarantees higher lithium transference numbers, a more stable electrochemical interface and better cycling performances. Contrary to the HiSil TM-based membrane, the Li/LiFePO 4 cells with PVdF-HFP/PYRA 12O1 TFSI-LiTFSI films containing 10 wt% of SBA-15 show good charge/discharge capacity, columbic efficiency close to unity, and low capacity losses at medium Crates during 180 cycles.

SilicaePMMA nanocomposites with different silica quantities were prepared by a melt compounding\ud method. The effect of silica amount, in the range 1e5 wt.%, on the morphology, mechanical properties\ud and thermal degradation kinetics of PMMA was investigated by means of transmission electron\ud microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), thermogravimetric\ud analyses (TGA), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), 13C cross-polarization magic-angle\ud spinning nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (13C{1H} CP-MAS NMR) and measures of proton spinlattice\ud relaxation time in the rotating frame (T1r(H)), in the laboratory frame (T1(H)) and cross-polarization\ud times (TCH). Results showed that silica nanoparticles are well dispersed in the polymeric matrix\ud whose structure remains amorphous. The degradation of the polymer occurs at higher temperature in\ud the presence of silica because of the interaction between the two components

A Ce:YAG-poly(methyl methacrylate) composite was prepared using in situ polymerization by embedding the Ce:YAG nanopowder in a blend of methyl methacrylate (MMA) and 2-methacrylic acid (MAA) monomers and activating the photopolymerization using a radical initiator. The obtained nanocomposite was yellow and transparent. Its characterization was performed using transmission electron microscopy, small angle X-ray scattering, (13)C cross-polarization magic-angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance, and photoluminescence spectroscopy. Results showed that Ce:YAG nanoparticles are well dispersed in the polymeric matrix whose structure is organized in a lamellar shape. The luminescence properties of the nanocomposite do not show quenching or a significant spectral shift, indicating that the nanocomposite can be useful for advanced applications such as white LED construction.

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In this work, a multi-scale approach with different analytical methods is applied to study the\ud curing process and the structural properties of a diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) epoxy\ud resin. This monomer, thermally cured using 4,4′-diaminodiphenilsulfone (DDS) as hardener,\ud is analyzed after 10, 45, 90, and 120 min of reaction time at 180 °C to obtain information on\ud samples with different cross-linking densities. Samples are also characterized after extraction\ud in acetone in order to obtain structural information on the insoluble parts. For this purpose, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA), solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (ss-NMR), and positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) are\ud employed. The importance of this multi-method approach lies in the possibility to obtain a more complete knowledge of the investigated system, overcoming the limits inherent to the use of a single technique, through the correlation among results obtained from different structural investigation\ud methodologies