Boosting the Oxidative Potential of Polyethylene Glycol-Based Polymer Electrolyte to 4.36 V by Spatially Restricting Hydroxyl Groups for High-Voltage Flexible Lithium-Ion Battery Applications

Abstract

Cross-linked polyethylene glycol-based resin (c-PEGR) is constructed by a ring-opening reaction of polyethylene glycol diglycidyl ether (PEGDE) with epoxy groups and polyether amine (PEA) with amino groups. By confining the hydroxyl groups with inferior oxidative stability to the c-PEGR backbone, the oxidation potential of the PEG-based polymer material with reduced reactivity is boosted to 4.36 V. The c-PEGR based gel electrolyte shows excellent flexibility, lithium-ion transport, lithium compatibility, and enhanced oxidation stability, and is successfully applied to a 4.35 V lithium cobaltate (LCO)||lithium (Li) battery system. A quasi-static linear scanning voltammetry (QS-LSV) method is proposed for the first time to accurately measure the oxidation potential and electrochemical stability window of materials with low conductivities such as polymers, which possesses the advantages of high accuracy and short test time. This work provides new insights and research techniques for selecting polymer electrolytes for high-voltage flexible lithium-ion batteries (LIBs).