Hybrid Solid Polymer Electrolytes with Two‐Dimensional Inorganic Nanofillers
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A Journal of Accepted Article Title: Hybrid solid polymer electrolytes with two-dimensional inorganic nanofillers Authors: Stephanie Chua, Ruopian Fang, Zhenhua Sun, Mingjie Wu, Zi Gu, Yuzuo Wang, Judy Hart, Neeraj Sharma, Da-Wei Wang, and Feng Li This manuscript has been accepted after peer review and appears as an Accepted Article online prior to editing, proofing, and formal publication of the final Version of Record (VoR). This work is currently citable by using the Digital Object Identifier (DOI) given below. The VoR will be published online in Early View as soon as possible and may be different to this Accepted Article as a result of editing. Readers should obtain the VoR from the journal website shown below when it is published to ensure accuracy of information. The authors are responsible for the content of this Accepted Article. To be cited as: Chem. Eur. J. 10.1002/chem.201804781 Link to VoR: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/chem.201804781 Supported by Chemistry - A European Journal 10.1002/chem.201804781 1 Hybrid solid polymer electrolytes with two-dimensional inorganic nanofillers Stephanie Chua,1 Ruopian Fang,2 Zhenhua Sun,2 Mingjie Wu,2 Zi Gu,1 Yuzuo Wang,2 Judy Hart,3 Neeraj Sharma,4 Feng Li,2* Da-Wei Wang1* 1 School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales, UNSW Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia 2 Shenyang National Laboratory of Materials Sciences, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China 3 School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of New South Wales, UNSW Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia 4 School of Chemistry, University of New South Wales, UNSW Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia Corresponding authors: D.W. [email protected], F. L. [email protected] Abstract: Solid polymer electrolytes are of rapidly increasing importance for the research and development of future safe batteries with extraordinary energy density. The diversified chemistry and structures of polymers allow the utilization of a wide range of soft structures for all-polymer solid- state electrolytes. With equal importance is the hybrid solid-state electrolytes consisting of both ‘soft’ polymeric structure and ‘hard’ inorganic nanofillers. The recent emergence of the re-discovery of many two-dimensional layered materials has stimulated the booming of advanced research in energy Manuscript storage fields, such as batteries, supercapacitors, and fuel cells. With special interest has been the mass transport properties of these 2D nanostructures for water, gas, or ions. This review aims at the current progress and prospective development of hybrid polymer-inorganic solid electrolytes based on important 2D materials, including natural clay and synthetic lamellar structures. The ion conduction mechanism and the fabrication, property and device performance of these hybrid solid electrolytes will be discussed and commented. Accepted This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. Chemistry - A European Journal 10.1002/chem.201804781 2 1. Introduction Advancements and efforts to improve fuel cell, supercapacitor, and lithium metal battery characteristics have been steady in the past decades but research efforts are mainly directed towards the improvement of the electrode materials. An equally important aspect is to improve the features of the electrolyte since it determines the electrochemical window and temperature range where the system can operate, the power density, as well as governing the stability over time[1]. Although liquid electrolytes and ionic liquids (ILs) are preferred because of high ionic conductivities, the following problems are main hurdles towards their prolonged use: restricted operating voltage, decomposition tendencies, flammability, electrolyte leakage, safety, and economic costs. The drive to solve these issues has certainly made the adaptation of polymer electrolytes (PEs) favourable and feasible. The opportunity of using polymers as electrolyte systems was first discovered in the 1970s when ionic conductivity was found to be possible in poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) dissolved in alkaline salts[2], and many other polymers such as poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF), poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), etc. have since been scrutinized for their ionic properties. For PEs to completely replace liquid electrolytes in electrochemical devices, they must first meet the following conditions[3]: (1) reasonable ionic conductivity (≥ 10-4 S cm-1) at ambient temperature yet electrochemically inert, (2) mechanically robust, (3) extensive thermal and electrochemical stabilities, and (4) possess good interfacial contact with electrodes. PEs can generally be classified into two major types according to their compositions: gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs), where the liquid electrolyte is incorporated into the matrix of the swollen polymer host; and solid or dry polymer Manuscript electrolytes (SPEs), where the electrolyte salt is blended with the polymer of choice without the presence of an organic solvent post processing[3-4] (Figure 1). PEO is commonly chosen as polymer host for SPE composites yet its poor ionic conductivity at ambient temperatures, despite good mechanical and thermal stability, has limited its use. GPEs are highly advantageous in this aspect due to the presence of a liquid that provides an intimate interfacial contact with the electrodes, but the disadvantages include poor mechanical strength, wasteful use of organic solvents, and production of hazardous volatiles during preparation and operation, respectively. Accepted This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. Chemistry - A European Journal 10.1002/chem.201804781 3 Figure 1. Types of polymer electrolytes according to source and composition. The ionic conductivity of the resulting composites is of utmost importance in PE preparation for it dictates the power density of the assembled electrochemical device. Numerous schemes have been applied towards improving the ionic conductivities of PEs to form hybridised composites which Manuscript include, but not limited to, the following: combination of both solid and gel polymer electrolytes[5], increased salt concentrations or polymer-in-salt systems[6], ILs[7], and addition of inorganic materials such as clay[8] and metal oxides (i.e. titanium, aluminium, etc.)[9]. Among these, the use of clay has been investigated extensively as its minimal addition has enhanced ionic conductivity mechanical strengths of the resulting PE composites[10]. The ability of clay to accommodate materials in between its layered structure has been a subject of interest. Incorporation of polymer materials in clay to produce SPEs seems viable as the synergistic effects between the two materials open a new range of functions: the large surface area and high aspect ratio of the inorganic material reinforces not just mechanical properties, but also alter the physical characteristics of polymers such as glass transition temperatures and conductivity; interfacial resistance of clay is likewise reduced with polymer incorporation. As of present, the term “clay” has been further extended to describe two-dimensional Accepted stacked structures such as graphene oxide (GO) and layered double hydroxides (LDHs). Polymer blends with natural or artificial clay materials have been prepared and studied extensively[8c, 11], and while it is currently resurgent in the past years their applications towards solid state electrolytes for energy devices have been pursued limitedly. Therefore, the development of a sustainable solid-state electrolyte is of tantamount necessity for electrochemical devices to be safe, of low-cost, and capable of delivering the necessary energy required at present. This paper aims to This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. Chemistry - A European Journal 10.1002/chem.201804781 4 highlight the application of two-dimensional, clay-like materials and their resulting composites, with emphasis on its use as a solid-state electrolyte in electrochemical energy devices (i.e. fuel cells, supercapacitors, and lithium based batteries). Selected characterisation techniques for understanding the composite features vis-à-vis performance, as well as the potential direction and prospect of SPE studies, will be presented. 2. Material structures and general composite preparation The general preparation technique for nanocomposites containing layered materials and polymer involve isolating the individual layers by means of polymer insertion between the sheets. This method of intercalation has since been applied to synthesise polymer nanocomposites containing GO and LDHs as nanofillers. Table 1 lists the common strategies to prepare layered material/polymer blends, with solution intercalation and in situ polymerisation the two effective routes of introducing nanofillers into a polymer matrix. The layered structures of GO and LDHs can be easily interrupted, therefore insertion of polymer by means of the two popular methods can serve to prop up the layers with no risk of structural disintegration. An exfoliated material is ideal but more often the end product resembles a mixture of fully and semi-exfoliated components (Figure 2). Mixtures of these are avoided because their ambiguous compositions can lead to varied and uncontrollable properties. Accurate control of parameters such as temperature, concentrations, and compositions of starting materials can assist with obtaining fully exfoliated polymer nanocomposites. Manuscript Accepted Figure 2. Different types