With the raw materials of poly(vinylidene-co-hexafluoropropylene) (P(VDF-HFP)) and polyamide 6 (PA6, nylon 6), a sandwich-structured composite membrane, PA6/P(VDF-HFP)/PA6, is fabricated via sequential layer-by-layer electrospinning. The nylon-based composite exhibits high absorption to organic liquid electrolyte (270 wt%) owing to its high porosity (90.35%), good mechanical property (17.11 MPa), and outstanding shut-down behavior from approximately 145 to 230 °C. Moreover, the dimensional shrink of a wet PA6 porous membrane immersed into liquid electrolyte is cured due to the existence of the P(VDF-HFP) middle layer. After swelling by the LiPF6-based organic liquid electrolyte, the obtained PA6/P(VDF-HFP)/PA6-based gel polymer electrolytes (GPE) shows high ionic conductivity at room temperature (4.2 mS cm-1), a wide electrochemical stable window (4.8 V), and low activation energy for Li+ ion conduction (4.68 kJ mol-1). Benefiting from the precise porosity structure made of the interlaced electrospinning nanofibers and the superior physicochemical properties of the nylon-based composite GPE, the reversible Li+ ion dissolution/deposition behaviors between the GPE and Li anode are successfully realized with the Li/Li symmetrical cells (current density: 1.0 mA cm-2; areal capacity: 1.0 mAh cm-2) proceeding over 400 h at a polarization voltage of no more than 70 mV. Furthermore, the nylon-based composite GPE in assembled Li/LiFePO4 cells displays good electrochemical stability, high discharge capacity, good cycle durability, and high rate capability. This research provides a new strategy to fabricate gel polymer electrolytes via the electrospinning technique for rechargeable lithium batteries with good electrochemical performance, high security, and low cost.
Keywords: electrospinning; gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs); lithium ion batteries (LIBs); nylon; sandwich-structured composite.