The gel polymer electrolyte (GPE) is a promising substitution
for
traditional liquid electrolytes. However, GPE is still troubled mainly
by its sluggish ionic conductivity and inferior interfacial compatibility
with electrodes. Herein, a phosphorus-modified GPE was fabricated
by in situ incorporation of black phosphorus (BP) nanosheets into
a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) matrix during the self-polymerization
of monomers. The developed GPE exhibited high ionic conductivity (1.083
mS·cm–1 at 30 °C), an enhanced Li+ transference number (0.43), and a wide electrochemical stability
window (5.2 V vs Li+/Li), while good thermal stability
and improved flame retardancy can also be achieved. Differential scanning
calorimeter measurements confirmed that the crystallinity of the PMMA
matrix was not changed as BP nanosheets were incorporated. Further
investigation proved that BP nanosheets contained in PMMA segments
effectively immobilized the anions to decrease the coordination number
around Li+. As a result, Li+ ion transport through
the GPE was facilitated, which promoted the uniform stripping/plating
of lithium while cycling the lithium symmetry cell. Based on the phosphorus-modified
GPE, the Li|LiFePO4 and Li|LiNi0.5Co0.2Mn0.3O2 batteries and graphite|LiFePO4 soft-package battery exhibited encouraging electrochemical performances
and safety properties.
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