Synthesis and properties of polymer electrolytes based on polyurethane elastomer and lithium salts

Abstract

Polymer solid electrolytes were obtained by swelling the polyurethane elastomer with solutions of lithium salts LiBF4 and LiClO4 in DMSO at different concentration of lithium salt. The swelling effect was found to decrease with the increase in the salt concentration, whereas, the ionic conductivity has a maximum of 6–8·10–4 S/cm at 5 wt.% lithium salt. The salt solutions incorporated into the polymer pores have melting points ranging from –10 to 2 °C and de-swelling takes place at low temperatures. The obtained polyurethane elastomer materials have a high conductivity and may be promising for use in flexible lithium polymer batteries.

Keywords

• polymer solid electrolytes
• polyurethane elastomer
• swelling effect
• ionic conductivity
• effect of the salt concentration on swelling and conductivity.