Electrospun octa(3-chloropropyl)-polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane-modified polyvinylidene fluoride/poly(acrylonitrile)/poly(methylmethacrylate) gel polymer electrolyte for high-performance lithium ion battery

Gel polymer electrolyte (GPE) based on octa(3-chloropropyl)-polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (OCP-POSS)-modified polyvinylidene fluoride/poly(acrylonitrile) /poly(methylmethacrylate) (PVDF/PAN/PMMA) fibrous membrane was prepared by electrospinning method to improve the thermal stability of GPE and prevent the leakage of liquid electrolyte for lithium ion battery. The effect of OCP-POSS content on the morphology, porosity and electrolyte uptake, mechanical strength, thermal stability of spinning fibrous membrane and ionic conductivity, electrochemical stability window, and interface resistance of GPE was investigated. The cycle performance of cells assembled with GPE was also tested. The results show that the spinning fibrous membrane with 10 wt% OCP-POSS possesses high electrolyte uptake (660%) and excellent thermal stability. The ionic conductivity of corresponding GPE is 9.23 × 10⁻³ S cm⁻¹ at room temperature and the electrochemical stability window is up to 5.82 V; the interface resistance of 10 wt% OCP-POSS modified GPE decreases by 42% after 168 h compared with pure PVDF/PAN/PMMA GPE. Furthermore, cells assembled with 10 wt% OCP-POSS modified GPE show high discharge capacity (166.5 mA h g⁻¹ at 0.1 C) and excellent cycle stability during 50 cycles. The results indicate that the GPE could improve the safety of lithium ion battery and show great potential in lithium ion battery applications.