Three-Dimensional-Percolated Ceramic Nanoparticles along Natural-Cellulose-Derived Hierarchical Networks for High Li+ Conductivity and Mechanical Strength

Chao Wang; Dafang Huang; Shiheng Li; Jianming Yu; Mingwei Zhu; Nian Liu; Zhenda Lu

doi:10.1021/acs.nanolett.0c02721

Three-Dimensional-Percolated Ceramic Nanoparticles along Natural-Cellulose-Derived Hierarchical Networks for High Li⁺ Conductivity and Mechanical Strength

Nano Lett. 2020 Oct 14;20(10):7397-7404. doi: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.0c02721. Epub 2020 Sep 14.

Authors

Chao Wang^{1

2}, Dafang Huang¹, Shiheng Li¹, Jianming Yu¹, Mingwei Zhu¹, Nian Liu², Zhenda Lu^{1

3}

Affiliations

¹ National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences and Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Artificial Functional Materials, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China.
² School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States.
³ State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China.

PMID: 32903000
DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.0c02721

Abstract

Solid polymer electrolytes for safe lithium batteries are in general flexible and easy to process, yet they have limited ionic conductivity and low mechanical strength. Introducing nano/microsized fillers into polymer electrolytes has been proven effective to address these issues, while formation of a percolated network of fillers for efficient Li⁺ conduction remains challenging. In this work, composite polymer electrolyte with 3D cellulose/ceramic networks is successfully developed using natural cellulose fibers and Li⁺-conducting ceramic nanoparticles. Monodisperse ceramic nanofillers first form interconnected networks driven by the self-assembly of hybrid cellulose fibers. The hierarchical cellulose skeleton provides spatial guidance for ceramic fillers and firmly supports the whole structure. After polymer electrolyte infusion, the resultant hybrid electrolyte affords both 3D continuous Li⁺ pathways for high Li⁺ conductivity and sufficient mechanical strength for dendrite suppression. This cellulose-confined particle percolation approach enables efficient and strong solid electrolytes for lithium batteries.

Keywords: 3D continuous Li+ pathways; Composite polymer electrolytes; ceramic particle networks; high Li+ conductivity; mechanical strength; natural cellulose.