Gel polymer electrolyte with high performances based on poly(methyl methacrylate) composited with hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose by phase inversion method for lithium-ion batteries

A novel type of gel polymer electrolyte (GPE) based on poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) composite natural polymer hydroxyl propyl methyl cellulose (HPMC) was prepared with high comprehensive performances for lithium ion batteries. In this study, the composite membrane was prepared through phase inversion method. When the mass ratio of PMMA to HPMC is 4:6, the composite membrane exhibits a very high liquid uptake of 1715.07 wt.%, and the corresponding ion conductivity is as high as 6.89 × 10[Formula: see text] S cm[Formula: see text], lithium ion transference number reaches up to 0.80, and electrochemical stability window is high enough up to 5.0 V at room temperature. In addition, through charge and discharge experimental test, Li/GPE/LiFePO4 batteries exhibit excellent initial discharge capacities 166 and 121 mAh g[Formula: see text] at 0.2C and 1C rates, respectively. Therefore, the composite membrane with low cost and high performance researched in this work is an effective and promising GPE material, which presents a potential for applying in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs).