Nanoparticle-dispersed PEO polymer electrolytes for Li batteries

Nanoparticle-dispersed polymer electrolytes have been prepared by stirring or high-energy ball milling of polyethylene oxide (PEO), lithium salt (LiCF3SO3, LiClO4 and LiPF6), and nanometer-size ceramic powder (TiO2, SiO2 and Al2O3). The smaller the size of ceramic particles, the better they influence the crystallization kinetics of the PEO polymer chains. High-energy ball milling lowers the glass transition temperature of the composite polymers, and thus increases the ionic conductivity greater than the order of the magnitude compared with the un-milled samples. The highest ionic conductivity was reported when using LiPF6 as added lithium salt and Al2O3 as dispersed particle. Cyclic voltametric measurements showed that the PEO-system is electrochemically stable in the range of 2–5 V.