Double-crosslinked polyurethane acrylate for highly conductive and stable polymer electrolyte

Abstract

High ionic conductivity and good stability are major factors that influence the use of polymer electrolytes in electrochemical storage and conversion devices. In this study, we present polyurethane acrylate (PUA) membranes having enhanced ionic conductivity and swelling stability by double crosslinking the polyurethane (PU) and polyacrylate (PA) compartments. The crosslinking agent concentration was varied to control their mechanical properties, swelling stability, and ionic conductivity. Under optimum conditions, the electrolyte uptake of the double-crosslinked PUA membranes without notable defects was 245%. The maximum ionic conductivity of these membranes reached 9.6 mS/cm, which was higher than those with respect to most of the previously reported PUA-or PU-based polymer electrolytes.