Effect of silica on the interfacial stability of the PEO-based polymer electrolytes

Summary In order to evaluate the effect of silica on stabilizing the interface of lithium metal electrode/solid polymer electrolyte, the cyclic behavior for silica-free and silica-containing polymer electrolyte under electrical stress was investigated using cyclic voltammetry. These electrolytes have an ionic conductivity of the order 10^-4 S/cm at above 60°C and most importantly the introduction of hydrophilic silica in PEO-based polymer electrolyte has brought about the enhanced stability of lithium metal electrode/polymer electrolyte interface especially under electrical stress. This in turn supports the suitability of the composite polymer electrolytes with hydrophilic silica for fabrication of enhanced rechargeable solid lithium polymer batteries. Received: 7 May 2002/ Revised version: 10 July 2002/ Accepted: 12 July 2002