Study of lithiated Nafion ionomer for lithium batteries

Lithiated Nafion 112 ionomer was characterized by FT-IR spectroscopy, AC impedance, and cyclic voltammetry. The ionomer swollen with mixed solvents of propylene carbonate ( PC) and ethylene carbonate shows ionic conductivity of 8.18x10(-5) S cm(-1) at 25degreesC and good electrochemical stability to allow operation in Li/ionomer/LiCoO2 cells. The discharge capacity of the first cycle is 126 mAh g(-1). Significant capacity loss occurs during cycling due to the presence of PC. AC impedance shows that the passive layer formed at the Li/ionomer interface dominates the cycling performance of the cell.