Evaluating the electrochemical properties of PEO-based nanofibrous electrolytes incorporated with TiO2 nanofiller applicable in lithium-ion batteries

In the present work, nanofibrous composite polymer electrolytes consist of polyethylene oxide (PEO), ethylene carbonate (EC), propylene carbonate (PC), lithium perchlorate (LiClO4), and titanium dioxide (TiO2) were designed using response surface method (RSM) and synthesized via an electrospinning process. Morphological properties of the as-prepared electrolytes were studied using SEM. FTIR spectroscopy was conducted to investigate the interaction between the components of the composites. The highest room temperature ionic conductivity of 0.085 mS.cm(-1) was obtained with incorporation of 0.175 wt. % TiO2 filler into the plasticized nanofibrous electrolyte by EC. Moreover, the optimum structure was compared with a film polymeric electrolyte prepared using a film casting method. Despite more amorphous structure of the film electrolyte, the nanofibrous electrolyte showed superior ion conductivity possibly due to the highly porous structure of the nanofibrous membranes. Furthermore, the mechanical properties illustrated slight deterioration with incorporation of the TiO2 nanoparticles into the electrospun electrolytes. This investigation indicated the great potential of the electrospun structures as all-solid-state polymeric electrolytes applicable in lithium ion batteries.