Nanjing Tech University

About: Nanjing Tech University is a education organization based out in Nanjing, China. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Catalysis & Membrane. The organization has 21827 authors who have published 21794 publications receiving 364050 citations. The organization is also known as: Nangongda & Nánjīng Gōngyè Dàxúe.

Flexible, Flame‐Resistant, and Dendrite‐Impermeable Gel‐Polymer Electrolyte for Li–O2/Air Batteries Workable Under Hurdle Conditions

Abstract: Gel-polymer electrolytes are considered as a promising candidate for replacing the liquid electrolytes to address the safety concerns in Li-O-2/air batteries. In this work, by taking advantage of the hydrogen bond between thermoplastic polyurethane and aerogel SiO2 in gel polymer, a highly crosslinked quasi-solid electrolyte (FST-GPE) with multifeatures of high ionic conductivity, high mechanical flexibility, favorable flame resistance, and excellent Li dendrite impermeability is developed. The resulting gel-polymer Li-O-2/air batteries possess high reaction kinetics and stabilities due to the unique electrode-electrolyte interface and fast O-2 diffusion in cathode, which can achieve up to 250 discharge-charge cycles (over 1000 h) in oxygen gas. Under ambient air atmosphere, excellent performances are observed for coin-type cells over 20 days and for prototype cells working under extreme bending conditions. Moreover, the FST-GPE electrolyte also exhibits durability to protect against fire, dendritic Li, and H2O attack, demonstrating great potential for the design of practical Li-O-2/air batteries.