Electrospun PVdF and PVdF-co-HFP-Based Blend Polymer Electrolytes for Lithium Ion Batteries

Abstract

Overexploitation of fossil fuel leads to the serious energy crisis. Alternate source in the post-fossil fuel era is the usage of electrical energy; thus, there is a huge technological research and development in this field. In the field of energy storage systems, lithium-ion batteries have received much attention for a wide variety of applications ranging from electronic devices such as laptops, digital cameras and cell phones. Working procedure of a lithium-ion battery involves as follows: During charging, an external electrical power source forces the current pass in the reverse direction and makes lithium ions migrate from the cathode to the anode across the electrolyte. Among the electrolyte, polymer electrolytes (PE) are the most promising one. These electrolytes are composed of polymers single or as blends with suitable salts giving safety and characteristics to lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Electrospinning technique is one of the widely used techniques in preparing the electrolyte for LIBs. Electrospun membrane with good mechanical strength and porosity exhibits high uptake when activated with the liquid electrolyte of lithium salt in a mixture of organic solvents and thus help in charge transport. However, crystallinity of single polymer system makes it difficult for charge transport. To reduce the crystallinity and hence to improve the ionic conductivity, polymeric blend-based electrolytes are done by electrospinning technique. This chapter highlights recent advancements and newer trends in electrospun blend PEs by providing an overview of various blend electrolytes prepared by electrospinning technique for application in LIBs. © 2021, Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.