Polyacrylonitrile/bio-based polyurethane electrospun fiber mats as advanced separators for high-performance Zn-ion batteries

Abstract

This research aims to fabricate a polyacrylonitrile (PAN)/bio-based polyurethane (bio-based PU) separator for a Zn-ion battery. PAN/bio-based PU electrospun fiber mats at 75/25 were prepared via electrospinning technique using Taguchi experimental design with three parameters and four levels. It was found that all fiber mats illustrated smooth and continuous fiber. The properties of the electrospun fiber mats were optimized in accordance with the grey relational method. Furthermore, the fiber mats prepared from 14 wt% polymer concentration, 25 kV of applied voltage, and 16 cm of distance from tip to collector were determined to be the most suitable fabrication condition exhibiting an ionic conductivity of 3.11 mS/cm, the tensile strength of 44.16 MPa, and electrolyte uptake of 1,971%. Moreover, the fiber mats showed no dimensional change at a temperature of 150°C because of the incorporation of bio-based PU in the polymer network. The electrochemical stability of the Zn-ion battery with the developed separator was greater than that of the commercial glass fiber separator. Thus, the PAN/bio-based PU electrospun fiber can be considered a promising candidate as a separator for Zn-ion batteries.

Keywords

• polymer blends and alloys
• polymer membranes
• bio-based polyurethane
• separator
• zinc ion battery